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Government programs

Service Canada

The federal government’s Service Canada website provides Canadians with a single point of access to a wide range of government services and benefits.

Some of the benefits that cancer patients and survivors may want to access are:

Employment Insurance Sickness Benefit

Through the federal government, employment insurance (EI) sickness benefits can provide financial assistance up to 15 weeks if the claim begins before December 18, 2002 or after December 18, 2022 up to 26 weeks (NEW). The federal government will partially replace wages if a person:

  • cannot work because of sickness
  • has paid sufficiently into the plan
  • has seen their normal weekly earnings drop by more than 40%
  • meets other eligibility criteria

If the person works while receiving the Employment Insurance Sickness Benefit, the government will deduct the entire amount earned from the benefit.

Regular Employment Insurance

The federal government will partially replace wages if a person:

  • has paid sufficiently in the plan within the last 52 weeks
  • is not working
  • can work
  • is actively looking for work
  • meets other eligibility criteria

If the person receives regular Employment Insurance, they may be able to work. Earnings will be deducted from the employment insurance payment. See Service Canada’s Working While on Claim page for more information.

Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit (CPP-D)

Patients may be eligible for the Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit if they (for Quebec residents, please consult Quebec pension plan for more information):

  • cannot work at any job on a regular basis because of a severe and prolonged disability or illness
  • have paid sufficiently into the plan
  • are under 65 years of age

Even if someone receives CPP-D Benefit payments, they may be able to earn a certain limited amount of income. If they go back to work but find it too difficult because of disability, a fast-track system allows them to go back onto CPP-D Benefits.

For more information on the CPP-D Benefit program, see the Government of Canada’s Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit – Overview.

People who receive CPP-D benefits may have access to vocational rehabilitation support as well. See the Government of Canada’s Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit – Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

Quebec Disability Pension Benefits

An individual living in Quebec who has contributed to the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) disability benefit pension may be eligible if they:

  • have a severe and permanent disability
  • are under 65 years of age
  • made sufficient contributions
  • are unable to do any substantially gainful work because of their state

For more information, see Disability and the Québec Pension Plan from the Retraite Québec website.