3. Get your documents

You will have to show Service Canada certain documents when you apply for the family caregiver benefit for children.

Record of Employment

You will need a Record of Employment (ROE) from every employer you worked for in the past 52 weeks. Your ROE shows your history at a particular job, like the dates you worked, how much you earned, and how many hours you worked. There are rules that your employer must follow when preparing your ROE.

Service Canada uses the information on your ROE to decide:

• if you are eligible for EI benefits
• how much you get
• how long your benefits will be paid

You can ask your employer for a paper copy of your ROE. Once you get the ROE, you must give it to Service Canada as soon as possible. You can apply for EI even if your employer has not yet given you a ROE.

If your employer sends your ROE directly to Service Canada electronically, you will not need to ask for a paper copy. You will need a My Service Canada Account to view your ROE electronically.

Medical proof

To get the family caregiver benefit for children, you must submit:

• Medical Certificate for Employment Insurance Family Caregiver Benefits: a form filled out by a doctor or nurse practitioner stating that your child is critically ill, and
• Authorization to Release that Medical Certificate: a document signed by the parent that allows the medical certificate to be shared with Service Canada staff and the other parent.

The certificate must say:

• the name of the child,
• that the child is critically ill or has been critically injured (it does not have to state what injury or illness the child has),
• that the child needs the care or support of at least one parent, and
• how long the child will need the care or support.

The child might be critically ill for longer than the doctor or nurse practitioner expected. For example, the doctor might state on the medical certificate that the child will recover in 10 weeks but, at the end of 10 weeks, your child is still critically ill. If this happens, you can send Service Canada another set of forms to get more benefits, up to the 35-week maximum.

You can apply for EI and then send in the medical certificate later. But to avoid delays, it is best to ask the doctor or nurse practitioner to fill out the medical certificate as soon as possible.

Other information and documents you need to apply

In your application, you must also provide:

• your Social Insurance Number (SIN) card
• another piece of identification, with a photo
• proof of your immigration status and work permit if your SIN begins with a 9
• your mother’s maiden name
• your mailing address and residential address
• banking information, like a cheque or your bank statement

You will also need:

• the names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for leaving for all your employers in the last 52 weeks,
• a detailed version of what happened if you quit or were fired from any of these jobs,
• the dates and your earnings for the highest paid weeks in your qualifying period, and
• the critically ill child’s full name, birth date, and home address.

If you don’t have all the information about the child when you apply, you can send it later.