Leave, Leave Planning, Leave Claims, Leave Administration? There are many terms related to taking a leave of absence.

This guide is designed to help you navigate and understand the basic terminology related to taking a leave of absence, from understanding your benefits, to clarifying key aspects of your LeaveLogic profile.

Have questions about Leave or LeaveLogic? See also: Leave & LeaveLogic Basics
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Benefit – a payment or service (like job protection) provided by your employer, province or territory and/or the federal government in the form of a policy, act, statute or regulation.

Disability – a physical and/or mental impairment resulting in the inability to perform the material and substantial duties your job requires. If you require surgery or a medical treatment, you may be able to plan the date of that surgery, but the length of the resulting recovery period will be determined by your physician and is not a personal choice.

Disability Insurance – a type of insurance that provides partial income replacement if you are unable to work and earn money due to a disability. Disability insurance can be provided to you by your employer through your employee benefits or purchased out in the private marketplace. You may also be eligible for federal Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits.

If you are disabled as a result of a non-work-related injury, your disability insurance will work with you to determine your benefit eligibility.

Elimination/Waiting Period – time that must pass before you can receive paid benefits.

An elimination period can also be defined as the number of days of total, partial, or residual disability that must pass before benefits become payable. Benefits are not payable, nor do they accrue, during an elimination period.

Job Protection – policies that are designed to allow you to take a leave of absence for certain life events, if eligible, without having to worry about job security. Some job-protected policies may or may not provide salary reimbursement or specific monetary benefit to you.

These protections usually come from provincial or territorial employment legislation, but can be covered under federal legislation for federally-regulated employees. Your employer may also provide leave of absence policies that guarantee job protection.

Maternity Recovery Period – time that a person takes to recover from pregnancy and childbirth. This period may include time off during pregnancy before the child is born, as well as time after the birth. Maternity recovery is usually between 15 and 17 weeks, depending on provincial or territorial regulations. After the maternity recovery period ends, you may take parental leave to bond with your new child.

You may be eligible for either Employment Insurance (EI) maternity benefits or Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) benefits during this period.

Paid Leave – any time an employee takes from work with pay. This can include paid time off, vacation, sick time, or a leave of absence that includes paid benefits.

Parental Leave Bonding Period – time that a parent or guardian spends with a newborn child or recently-placed adopted or foster child to build a connection through constant association. For mother's who have given birth, bonding time occurs after the maternity recovery period ends. If there are two parents, this leave is usually shared.

You may be eligible for either Employment Insurance (EI) parental benefits or Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) benefits during this period.