Canadian Moms with Knowledge of Maternity Leave information?

[Tiff]

Okaaaaay, bear with me, this might be long.

So! To begin at the very beginning:

I was on Sick Leave before I went for Mat Leave. I was signed off by my doctor as I worked in a factory and they were jerks and didn't accomodate my doctor's note of not being on my feet/heavy lifting/ect. I began my SL with 2 weeks waiting period the first week of September. As you are able to have 15 weeks, my ML started pretty much the day I had Claire.

While on Mat Leave (ML) I got laid off from my work. I had been there for 7 years, and since they couldn't give me 8 weeks working notice, I got paid 8 weeks Termination Pay In Lieu of Notice. So the grand total was 15 weeks. I had to report it to EI as they take care of ML, and they stopped my benefits on the 9th of February. I was told by the workers that my claim would extend for the 15 weeks that my benefits suspended for... so I'd be due to figure out what I was going to do in March of 2010, not Dec 2009.

I was due to have my ML benefits re-instated on the 2nd of June. I called them on that date as my Money hadn't been deposited into my account. They told me at that point that I was mistaken, in no way do they extend the ML claim past the 1 year point. So basically I lost out on 15 weeks worth of ML. Fine, whatever. I was pissed that I had been lied to, but whatever.

Anyways, in looking at my account they noticed that no reports had been processed since the 25th of April. That would have been when my benefits switched from the 16 weeks of Maternity Leave to the 35 weeks of Parental Leave. Because "work" had to be done on my claim, they put it into the work "queue" and said it'd be processed by the 25th of June.

So the 25th of June comes, and still my benefits hadn't been reinstated. I called Service Canada again, and spoke to someone who told me that they technically had until the end of the day to process my stuff. If the money wasn't in my account the next day (26th of June) I was to call them again and they'd push my payments through.

So the next day, June 26th, comes without any of my payments in my bank account. I called Service Canada again, and the lady who spoke to me told me that procedure in this case would be to send a "memo" and that my agent would have 2 buisness days to complete the work on my claim and send it through. The 26th was a Friday, and she said that it would take two business days to complete and if it wasn't in on the Wednesday then I was to call back...again. Wednesday was Canada Day, where no one was working so she corrected to say Thursday. So of course, the end of Tuesday the 29th still nothing had been deposited in my account. I waited until Thursday the 2nd of July (we're now a MONTH past when my money was supposed to be reinstated) and spoke to yet ANOTHER agent.

I told him my entire story, the amount of times I called, how I was told each time to "wait a few more days" and how my OH had been laid off and I desparately needed my money. I'm on mat leave for chrissakes!!! I have a BABY to support!!!!

So after being put on hold for a bit, he said he "pushed through" the 8 weeks worth of payments that were just "cycling" in my claim. He also said that it'd take two business days for it to go through and that it should be in my account on Monday, July 6th (tomorrow).

Now here's my dilemma: What do I do if my money isn't in there tomorrow? Obviously calling isn't getting me anywhere. They have all the information, all the facts, everything. Basically what I am waiting on is for my claim to switch over to the Parental Leave part of my benefits. This is normally done automatically but I'm guessing because I had my Severence Package from work it bugged it up.

I am at my WITS END. I need my Money. I am so stressed with how I am going to provide for Claire, plus bills when basically I'm living off $203 a month, which is the combined total that I get for the UCB and the CCTB. I honestly didn't think it would take this long and I have no idea who to go to in order to push this through. Who is the watchdog for EI? Who can I contact? I'm ready to have a nervous breakdown as I am so stressed out and at the end of my rope!

I hope that this just turns into a rant and I'll post tomorrow saying it was in there but with the rate that they are going, I'm highly doubting it.

Please, any info... anyone????

 

[Sarahkka]

Okay, I don't know the ins and outs at all. I think it sucks that they counted your severance pay as income, quite frankly, but let's not go there.
Tyff, bureaucrats are very good at passing the buck, especially on the phone. If the money is not there tomorrow, go to the Service Canada office in person and don't leave until they have given you money.
I have always had better luck in person. It will be a pain in the ass, I know, but I think you have a better chance of getting some results.
I am so sorry this has happened, Tyff.

 

[BlackBerry25]

Whenever I go in person, they tell me everything is done online now or over the phone. I don't even get why they have the office. I hope its different where you are!!

I hope your money is there tomorrow Tiff. I will think about this and see if I can come up with anything.

 

[Tiff]

Thanks ladies. I'm looking at having to live of my credit in another week if they don't start doing something soon. I am so, so, SO stressed out.

 

[BlackBerry25]

We both are on EI right now so I know the frustrations. I could have taken sick leave as well, as I had my gallbladder out in Feb, but I decided to just leave it because I knew they would just fuck everything up.

Yeah I will msg you later if I come up with anything.

 

[Sweetie]

If the funds aren't there contact EI first (I know it's annoying) but double check with them that it should be there and check that they do have the correct banking info. If they are still not able to do anything contact an Ombudsman (check these pages)

Federal - https://opo-boa.gc.ca/index-eng.html
Ontario - https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/


With all types of EI included the max lenght of a claim can be 15 weeks Sickness, 15 weeks maternity, and 35 weeks parental for a total of 65 weeks of mat. The total claim length can extend only 15 weeks past the anniversary date of the claim. So if you started the claim September '08 your claim would be good till Sept '09 + 15 weeks.

You are going to be out the $$ from the time you were "laid off" but in theory you got paid by your company for that. But your claim should in September automatically add that 15 weeks (it won't show in their system right now)

Have you been filing reports? You shouldn't need to on mat/ parental leave unless you are working during that time. Which they may be considering your layoff pay as working)

Reading and re-reading through your post the only reason I can think of for them to have done things this way (not trying to justify) is that they "closed" your claim for the time you received that pay and that they are in essence re-opening it. So it's like the wait you had at the start for them to get it up and running and you will get a bunch (what ever you are missing since the 26 of April) back paid and there is no waiting period this time

If you have more questions or need more clarification please let me know or ask away

 

[BlackBerry25]

When my EI was frozen due to the mailman putting my cheque in the wrong box, a lot of people told me to contact my local MP.

Maybe that would help?

 

[Alexas Mommy]

I have no insight, but wanted to add that service canada is crap... I know they messed up my claim 3 times-lost one of my ROE's and took forever processing it :S I am not surprised to hear that you are having these problems at all-I don't think they know what they are doing down there to be honest!

Hope it gets sorted soon...

 

[ryder]

Basically any EI claim (matleave/unemployment) does not pay for weeks which you receive a severance package... You get 15 weeks severance, that is 15 weeks taken off your matleave pay. You wont get anything after dec 09.

Im a littl interested to know what your union at your previously emplyed place says in the book... Did you look in the union book? Most employers cant lay you off while you are on matleave, it usually says this in the book... They can lay you off after, but not during... in which case you would have been offered the severance at the end of matleave.

If you accepted the severance package before that your basically SOL on the... And it does depend on what it says in your union contract.

As for not getting money, you jsut need to call and hound EI by phone... You will get backpay for the weeks you havent been paid for too...

 

[tasha41]

My understanding is that if those 15 weeks are going to be deducted from your (paid) time off.. I got a week taken off because I got my last pay check a week after Elyse was born but all parental leave has to be used up before the child turns 1 year.

Is it an option for your OH to take the last 15 weeks, even only a portion of them, later towards her birthday or something? It's just a lot of paid time off to waste IYKWIM.

I know it doesn't help you NOW when you're struggling but you will get the back payments they owe you..

I recommend finding a city counsellor, MP, or MPP (even better if you can find someone NDP!).. you'll have to tell them your story but in my experience they will go to bat for you.

And I didn't think you could be laid off during maternity leave, because there's all the conditions about being able to return to your exact job & the same # hours at the same rate of pay OR better?? Not sure what you can do though about that now, or what sorts of exceptions and loopholes there are..

I really hope you get your $$ in your bank account tomorrow so you won't have to deal with this crap anymore!!

 

[Tiff]

Hey Ladies! Thanks for your info!

So the money isn't there. I called yet again and thankfully I got someone who actually seems to somewhat give a crap. Basically it pans out like this:

When I applied for my SL, they did a "speed of service" meaning that they processed my sick leave and my maternity leave but didn't do the Parental Leave portion of it... which according to the lady I spoke with a bit more involved in processing (I don't really care, tbh). Anyways, they never did my portion for my PL benefits portion and since I got my severance package during the time they'd have to process it they never did.

LAZY!

Anyways, she asked when I had originally called to reinstate my benefits and I told her the 2nd of June. I got put on hold, and when she came back she said that she's escalated it to an "Urgent" matter and that I'd have to wait another 2 business days ( ) for something to happen. When I asked what it meant, she said that their Team Leader would be notified that this has been going on for a long time. I thanked her and said that it's been super stressful as basically I've been living off of $203 a month (CCTB and UCB). When I told her that, she escalated it further as now it's a financial crisis as well, although I'm not sure how it wasn't before then... but whatever.

So now I have to wait 1 business day ( ) and if nothing's been done, or I haven't been contacted by my agent then I have to call back again ( ) on Wednesday.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. So, so stressful.

 

[Tiff]

Oh, as for being laid off:

Normally they can't lay you off while you are on Mat Leave. However, my plant closed down (shut down operations) which is why they were able to lay me off. That's why I got paid out 8 weeks termination pay in lieu of notice, as by law when a plant is closing they have to guarantee you 8 full weeks of work/pay before they close down.

Argh.

 

[Stiina]

Holy cow, Tyff. I hate them on your behalf.



No advice! Just support! Keep blowing your horn!