Am I eligible to receive special assistance for loss of income due to SARS?

If you deliver or help deliver health care services, are not eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) and were affected by SARS you may be eligible to receive special assistance from the Government of Canada.

If you meet all the eligibility criteria, you may receive $400 per week if you are employed full time; or $200 per week if you are employed part time.

The program is retroactive to March 30, 2003.

The maximum amount payable to you will be $6,000. Payments will be for a maximum period of 15 weeks.

Am I eligible?

You may be eligible if

• you work in a recognized health care facility (e.g., a hospital, medical office, medical laboratory, or in emergency services such as paramedics), or in a recognized health care setting but in non-medical employment (e.g., cleaning staff, cafeteria worker), and
• during your work you either suffered a loss of income due to contracting SARS or were under quarantine because you may have been exposed to SARS or have been prevented from working as a result of an outbreak of SARS at your workplace, and
• do not qualify for Employment Insurance benefits.

You are not eligible if

• you were in a health care setting as a patient or visiting a patient,
• were quarantined after being in contact with someone who works in a health care setting, or
• deliver items to a health care setting but do not work there most of the day.

Criteria for eligibility

a)	You must demonstrate a loss of income not covered by paid sick leave or some other form of compensation arising from employment.
b)	If you were unable to work because you contracted SARS, you must provide a medical certificate or other documentation signed by a recognized medical practitioner attesting that you had the disease and the period of time for which it applies.
c)	If you were unable to work because you were under quarantine, you must provide a declaration attesting that: the period of quarantine was imposed by a public health officer, or the period of quarantine was recommended by a public health official for the general health and safety of the public, and you were asked by the employer, a medical doctor, a nurse or another similar person in authority to place yourself under quarantine.
d)	If you were in isolation or prevented from working due to an outbreak of SARS in your workplace, you must provide a declaration from your employer attesting to that effect.
e)	Upon request by Human Resources Skills and Development Canada (HRSDC), you must provide documentation from your employer establishing your full time or part time status and that your employment is recognized to be in a health care setting.

Since the outbreak of SARS, the Government of Canada has responded rapidly by taking comprehensive measures to help bring the situation under control. This includes waiving the EI waiting period and removing the requirement for a medical certificate, for those EI-eligible recipients who were quarantined or who contracted SARS.

Details of the program may be obtained by calling the SGI hotline at 416-954-7270 or 416-954-7228.

How to apply

HRDC will be administering this special relief program. The Department's extensive service delivery network will facilitate its administration.

If you are eligible to receive special income relief assistance related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), please mail the forms to:

SGI Unit
4900 Yonge St., Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6A8

Forms:

• Authorization to Disclose and Collect Information
  (PDF)
  
• Employer - Request for Information
  (PDF)
  
• Application for SARS Grant Initiative
  (PDF)
  

If you do not have Acrobat Reader (for PDF files), please call the SGI hotline at 416-954-7270 or 416-954-7228 and they will mail the forms to you.

Related links:

• Health Canada SARS Information