Digest of Benefit Entitlement Principles Chapter 12 - Section 5
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12.5.0 Attending a course of instruction
A claimant who is in receipt of maternity benefits may attend a course on her own initiative and continue to receive maternity benefits because the provisions of the Act regarding availability Footnote 1 do not apply to maternity claims Footnote 2 and the only other entitlement condition is the claimant’s pregnancy.
12.5.1 Approved course or employment activity under Section 25 of the Employment Insurance Act
In order to be referred to a course of instruction or employment activity under Section 25 of the EI Act, the claimant must be an "unemployed worker". Generally it is assumed that claimants who are collecting maternity benefits are on a leave of absence from their employment, and have a job to return to. As such, referrals to an approved course or employment activity under Section 25 of the EI Act should not be made for these claimants.
See Chapter 19.2.6 of the Digest for more information on entitlement to maternity benefits while attending an approved course or other employment activities, to which a claimant was referred by a designated authority, under Section 25 of the EI Act.
See Chapter 19.2.7 of the Digest for more information on disqualification from benefits, where a claimant withdraws from a course or employment activity to which they were referred under Section 25 of the EI Act, to receive maternity benefits.