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Awaiting EI Benefits


Procedures

Verification of EI Application: July 29, 2009

Issuing Hardship Code C: December 14, 2011

Subsequent Assistance under Code C: July 29, 2009

Clients Deemed Ineligible for EI: July 29, 2009

Clients Receiving EI: July 29, 2009

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Verification of EI Application: July 29, 2009
July 29, 2009

Before issuing the initial and any subsequent hardship assistance Code C, staff must verify that the applicant has completed an EI application with Service Canada.  Staff verify the status of the applicant’s EI application by using WebAOBLink to determine if an EI claim has been filed, approved, denied or in pay. 

Alternatively, to assess an initial application for hardship assistance, staff may confirm the applicant’s EI status by verifying Service Canada’s Confirmation and Information form, provided by the applicant. 

For applicants who have not applied for EI benefits, staff may assess their likelihood to qualify for EI by reviewing the applicants’ Record of Employment and accessing Service Canada’s website to confirm the required number of insurable hours within a specific EI economic region.  If applicants are likely to be eligible for EI benefits, refer them to Service Canada.  [See Systems Instructions - WebAOBLink]

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Issuing Hardship Code C: December 14, 2011
December 14, 2011

[For information on how to determine hardship assistance rates see Related Links – Eligibility for Hardship – Policy – Amount of Hardship Assistance.]

Determine the EI application date.  If the applicant requires assistance during the two-week waiting period when EI coverage is not payable, hardship assistance is issued under Awaiting Other Income (Code P).  [see Related Links - Awaiting Other Income – Code P] 

Advise applicants who qualify for hardship Code P that they are required to sign a Promise to Pay (SD2664) [MIS generated].

To issue hardship Code C to an applicant after the two-week EI waiting period, ministry staff are to complete the following steps:

  1. Ensure that the Allowances (ALL U) screen on MIS has been updated by entering “C” in the “Hardship/Transition Information Code” field, adding the start date in the “Start Date” field and entering the applicable allowance codes and amounts in the “Code” and “Amount” fields (Hardship support Code 70, Hardship shelter Code 71, Hardship family bonus top-up Code 72).  Please note that the system will add a default cancellation date. In cases where the spouse is the EI applicant, benefits must always be issued via a supplier imprest cheque to the spouse so that the cheque will have the same name as the AOB. To avoid this problem, the worker should always try to set up the initial case with the EI applicant as the primary applicant.
  2. If the spouse is the person awaiting EI benefits, use FILE PROFILE (LIST) (FPI L) screen to get their member number. The primary applicant’s member number is always ‘00’.
  3. If the spouse is the person awaiting EI benefits, enter their member number from Step 2 in the “Assignment Details” section of the UI Assignment of Benefits (UIA A) screen to set up an EI AOB.  Ensure that the MWLA has been applied each week of the assignment period.  Print the EI AOB [MIS generated] for the person who is awaiting EI benefits to sign and date. [For information on how to complete an EI Hardship Application on MIS see Resources for Staff – EAW MIS Training Module #10.]
  4. Inform the applicant of his or her responsibility to complete and submit the Monthly Report form (SD0081) as eligibility for hardship assistance must be re-established each month.
  5. Ensure all sections of the EI AOB are completed, specifically that it is signed and dated by ministry staff and that the “Date of Payment” section is completed. 
  6. Provide one signed copy of the EI AOB to the person awaiting EI benefits.  A second copy of the EI AOB must be scanned and profiled and sent to Administrative staff, who then forward it to Financial and Administrative Services Branch (FASB). 

    Please note: Administrative staff are required to submit EI AOBs with a copy of the New UI Assignment from the Report to Web - New UI Assignment List to FASB on a weekly basis, preferably on Mondays.  FASB forwards the received EI AOB to Service Canada every second day.
  7. If the person awaiting EI benefits is the primary applicant, use IMP A to issue hardship assistance using applicable hardship codes 70, 71 and 72. 
  8. If the spouse is the person awaiting EI benefits, use SIM A to issue hardship assistance using supplier type 20 RED SUP/TRUST under the spouse’s name.

    Please note: The ministry cannot make direct payments to landlords for the rent portion when the person is awaiting EI benefits.

    Please note: The amount on the AOB must match the amount issued to the person. Also, the AOB name must match the name of the person awaiting EI benefits, as well as the payee name on Hardship ‘C’ assistance cheques. Service Canada will only reimburse the ministry if the following three match:

    • name on the assistance cheque
    • name on AOB, and
    • name of person receiving EI.

    Please note: Eligible applicants with the PWD designation awaiting EI benefits receive disability assistance, not hardship assistance, after completing and signing the manual EI AOB form (SD2528).  [see Forms and Letters]
  9. Each EI AOB can be viewed using the UI Assignment of Benefits List (UIA L) screen.

    Please note: once a completed EI AOB has been received by Service Canada, the ministry cannot adjust amounts already determined on the EI AOB.  If applicants claim that Service Canada deducted from their EI weekly payments more than the weekly amount of the hardship assistance (as stated on the EI AOB) to reimburse the ministry, staff can request a review of applicants’ assignments by contacting FASB E-mail:  HSD FASB Help.

Cancelling and Deleting EI Assignments

If the imprest or computer cheque is printed and then cancelled, ministry staff are to complete the following steps:

  1. Update the UIA A screen by entering Code “5” (PCANCL) in the Assignment Status Code field and then print the cancelled EI AOB. 
  2. Provide a detailed comment explaining why the assignment is being cancelled.
  3. Scan and profile the EI AOB and send it to FASB immediately to avoid accidental deductions from the applicant’s EI benefits.  Place the cancelled EI AOB on the top of the original AOB (signed or unsigned) and staple them together before forwarding to FASB.
  4. Ministry staff are to complete a weekly review of the Report to Web – Unemployment Insurance Cancelled Assignments to ensure that all cancelled AOB’s have been submitted to FASB.

Terms in the EI AOB Form

The AOB period

  • The period during which the hardship assistance issued under Code C is recovered from EI benefits when the client received both - hardship and EI - for the same period of time (dual or duplicate payments). 

The MWLA

  • The maximum monthly amount of income or disability assistance for the specific family unit divided by 4.33 and rounded down to the nearest dollar.
    Please note: MWLA applies each week of the AOB period.

The Weekly Amount

  • The amount of issued hardship assistance divided by the number of Sundays within the AOB period and rounded down to the nearest dollar. 

The Start Week Date

  • The Sunday of the first week of the AOB period for which hardship assistance was issued.

The Last Week Date

  • The Sunday of the last week of the AOB period for which hardship assistance was issued.

The Last Week Amount

  • The amount of hardship assistance issued divided by the number of Sundays within the AOB period.  The last week amount includes amounts ‘rounded off’ in the earlier weeks. 

Example

A single person applied for EI on Monday, September 8, which means the two-week waiting period starts on Monday, September 8, and ends on Saturday, September 20 (the second Saturday after EI application).

On Monday, September 15, the client signed the application and was determined to be eligible for hardship assistance while the EI claim was being processed.  For September, the client would be eligible for:

  • Hardship under Code P

    • pro-rated support for five days (remainder of two-week waiting period, from September 15 to 20)
    • shelter for September if required
  • Hardship under Code C

    • pro-rated support from September 20 until the end of the calendar month (10 days in this example)

Hardship assistance is intended to meet basic needs of the applicant’s family unit with no entitlement to a specific amount of hardship assistance.  In order to minimize deductions from EI benefits, only the minimum amount of hardship assistance should be issued.

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Subsequent Assistance under Code C: July 29, 2009
July 29, 2009

Clients continue to be eligible for hardship Code C until they start to receive EI benefits.  Each subsequent issuance of hardship Code C will require reassessment of clients’ eligibility and completion of a separate EI AOB.

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Clients Deemed Ineligible for EI: July 29, 2009
July 29, 2009

If Service Canada deems a person ineligible for EI, then the case can be converted to an income assistance application if all other eligibility criteria are met.  If a Promise to Pay (SD2664) [MIS generated] was completed to cover the first two weeks of the EI waiting period, then a corresponding credit or debit memo must be completed for the debt.  [see Related Links – Recoveries]

Note: This procedure is not intended for clients who are disentitled or disqualified by Service Canada.

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Clients Receiving EI: July 29, 2009
July 29, 2009

Once clients start receiving EI, either of the following may apply:

  • if their EI income is less than their income assistance rate, they may be considered for income assistance, and the EI will be deducted as unearned income [For information on EI income, see Related Links - Income and Exemptions]

  • if their EI income is greater than the income assistance rate for their family unit, they are no longer eligible for assistance.

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