EI question

[wineandcake]

I'm due July 7th and a part time employee right now. I'm a nurse so the job is quite physical and with my first I was horribly uncomfortable and swollen towards the end. I was hoping to work until the end and July 1st be my first day of maternity leave, but now I'm not sure I can do it.

DH and I are planning on splitting leave so he can have quality time with the kids and his company tops up pay so financially it makes sense.

I'm considering taking the month of June as a sick leave and starting my maternity leave when baby is born. If I did this, would it cut into the total leave time for both of us? Or would we still get the full year of parental leave to split between us? Would sick leave only take away from mat leave if I were the only one taking leave since I'm part time and it would only cover so long?

[Bluedaisy]

I think it depends on your employer. I'm not sure how it works in every situation but I know that there are certain things in my contract that would keep medical from interfering with my maternity leave. Other people have to start their leave as soon as they are off work because of medical needs.

[Robeano]

I do know that if you can have your doctor say you need to be off work early, you can extend how long you can be off. You take the sick leave first and then go on maternity leave once the baby is born.

[ontherock2012]

If you use your sick time through work, and not EI sick time it shouldn't affect your mat leave. EI maternity leave will begin when you deliver, so your year will start then.

Unless there's been changes in the last couple of years.

I went off 3 months early with DD in 2011/2012 using banked sick time. My mat leave started when she was born, so I was actually off for 15 months. 16 if you count a month vacation time.

[obi]

EI paid sick leave does not take away from mat leave. It is a separate benefit.
In my situation (high risk pregnancy) I have received 15 weeks sick leave through EI, and my maternity benefits just started last week. When you apply for sick benefits, you apply for maternity/parental at the same time and they automatically transfer you from one benefit type to the other when sick benefits are finished. You do have the option of submitting two separate claims if you would like to.

I will be paid a total of 65 weeks (15+50), all together.

You do need a medical certificate from your doctor in order to get sick benefits. I picked up the form from Service Canada, filled out what I could and my doctor filled in the rest at no charge.

[andtheheartbreakers]

I'm a nurse too, due in September, so I totally understand where you're coming from. A lot of pregnant nurses on my unit work until close to their due date but I have no idea how they manage. I'm only 18 weeks and by the end of my 12 hours my hips ache so bad, I know 100% I'll be off work early.

I have about 3 weeks of vacation time banked and I didn't request any in this years vacation planner because I want to talk to my managers to see if they'll let me go off work early and use my vacation time. I have a feeling they won't agree though because that would be in August and they'll probably have to deny my request for staffing reasons. Which means I'll get a doctors not and go on modified sickness EI, which is completely separate from your year of mat leave.

[skylark12]

Hi ladies,

I'm a FTM and totally new to the EI stuff. Can DH and I be on leave at the same time? I'm due the end of August but I'm thinking I'll only make it until the end of July at my part time job. DH is thinking of taking a month off in November. Anyone have a similar experience?

[skylark12]

Hi ladies,

I'm a FTM and totally new to the EI stuff. Can DH and I be on leave at the same time? I'm due the end of August but I'm thinking I'll only make it until the end of July at my part time job. DH is thinking of taking a month off in November. Anyone have a similar experience?

shit. double post. sorry! 

[wineandcake]

skylark12 as far as I know only one parent can receive EI benefits at a time. With our first, I was off from mid February until January 1st, DH went off Early December until DS turned 1. I took December unpaid so we could have time off all together.

I just saw a specialist for some varicose vein issues I'm having and he strongly implied its best to go off work and he is willing to write me of at any time because of the issues. He assured me that sick leave would not take away from my mat leave. Now I'm feeling guilty about considering taking time off before baby, but might do it anyways. I'm going to end my leave mid May but go unpaid from April 1st onwards. DH is going to start his paid leave on April 1st and go back July 1st.