Provided by:

Entitlements:

To qualify:

Pregnancy leave - 17 weeks (unpaid)

Must have 13 weeks of continuous service.

Available to pregnant women.

Parental leave (unpaid)

Birth mothers who have taken Pregnancy Leave - up to 35 weeks

Birth mothers who have not taken Pregnancy Leave and all other new parents – 37 weeks

Must have 13 weeks of continuous service.

Available to new parents when a child is born or is adopted.

Begins no earlier than date of birth or custody.

To apply: No application necessary for above benefits if you qualify.  Please provide Western with at least three months notice of your intent to take leave. See "IMPORTANT" below.

Entitlements:

To qualify:

Maternity benefits - paid for a maximum of 15 weeks to a birth mother

You must have worked for 600 hours in the last 52 weeks or since your last EI claim.

Must be within 8 weeks of due date.

Parental benefits - paid to either biological or adoptive parents while they are caring for a new-born or an adopted child, up to a maximum of 35 weeks.

Basic benefit rate is 55% of your average insured earnings (maximum $45,900 in 2012). This means you can receive a maximum payment of $485 per week (in 2012).

To qualify, you must have worked for 600 hours in the last 52 weeks or since your last EI claim.

NOTE: If both parents are employees of Western, the SEIB payments may be taken by one parent or shared between the two parents.

To apply: On-line application is available from the Government of Canada www.servicecanada.ca. You must have stopped work before submitting your application. Please provide Western with at least three months notice of your intent to take leave. See "IMPORTANT" below...

Entitlements:

To qualify:

Supplemental Employment Insurance Benefits (SEIB) - a “top up” to EI. 

Employee will receive 95% of the salary at the time the leave begins for the initial two-week waiting period before EI benefits begin, and then, the difference between EI receivable and 95% of the salary for a maximum of 15 weeks.

Must have worked as a Regular Full-time employee of Western for a minimum of 1 year as of delivery date. There may be exceptions for some UWOSA members.  Please check your collective agreement.

Must be in receipt of EI.

Must return to work for 6 months after leave.

NOTE: If both parents are employees of Western, the weeks of SEIB payments may be taken by one parent or shared between the two parents.

Western benefits continue
NOTE: Will be deducted from SEIB payments while you are receiving SEIB.  If you do not receive SEIB, or when your SEIB ends, you will receive notification from Human Resources requesting your share of the cost of group benefits, including your employee pension contribution. 

Please note:  Sessional employees are not entitled to collect SEIB during periods when they would not be working at Western (i.e. on layoff).

To apply: As early as possible, but at least three months before your anticipated leave date, please complete "Pregnancy/Parental Leave Information Request" form.  See "IMPORTANT" below.

IMPORTANT

There are a number of factors that can impact your eligibility to receive paid leave and Supplemental Employment Insurance Benefits (SEIB). If you are planning a leave, please read the information on this website carefully and then complete the Pregnancy/Parental Leave Information Request form.  You will be contacted by Western Human Resources with information about your eligibility and assistance in planning your leave.