As a physician or resident, you are eligible to claim this benefit if you have practiced medicine or been a Resident in Manitoba and earned income directly or indirectly from Manitoba Health for providing medical services, teaching, research and/​or administrative duties immediately prior to taking a leave of absence to care for a newborn or adopted child aged 5 or under. 

If a physician is eligible to claim maternity or parental benefits under the terms of another contract negotiated by Doctors Manitoba, they are not eligible to claim a benefit under this program. Applicants must have held a full registration with the CPSM prior to the leave, and are required to continue to pay dues to Doctors Manitoba. 

This benefit program is not available to physicians who, prior to the start of the parental leave:

• held a short-term license, or
• whose license status was NP, or
• who were on the supplementary or education register.

However parental leave benefits from this program are available to Physician Residents who are covered by the PARIM collective agreement. PARIM members who are non-physicians are not eligible for parental benefits from Doctors Manitoba.

Benefits are only payable to physicians who are residents of Manitoba during the benefit period.

• If you relocate from the province, your benefits will be terminated.
• If you do not return to work in Manitoba within 365 days of the start of the maternity/​parental benefits, AND continue to work in Manitoba for a minimum of six months, you will be required to repay benefits to Doctors Manitoba.

If you have earned qualifying income for at least 20 weeks in the 12 months prior to your leave, you are eligible for up to 20 consecutive weeks of benefits.

• If you have earned qualifying income but have worked for less than 20 weeks, your maximum benefit period will be equal to the number of weeks you actually worked.
• You are required to take a minimum two weeks leave.
• Your parental leave claim period can begin as early as four weeks prior to the expected birth or adoption, but no later than six weeks after the baby’s discharge from hospital or date of placement of your adopted child.
• Claimants must file an application for benefits within twelve months of the birth or adoption of a child. Claims will not be accepted after this time.

Where both parents are physicians and/​or residents and wish to take a leave of absence from their practice:

• The parents can each receive up to 20 consecutive weeks of parental benefit. The amount of benefit paid on any given week will be based on the qualifying income of each parent.

The amount of your weekly benefit is based on your qualifying income over the past year.

• The amount will be calculated as 90% of your average gross weekly earnings over the highest-earning six months of the 12 months (or portion thereof) immediately prior to your leave, up to a maximum.
• The maximum gross benefit is $2,000 per week, regardless of your qualifying income.
• If you have worked fewer than six months in the past year, your qualifying income will be calculated based on all weeks worked prior to the leave.
• Benefits will not be adjusted in the case of retroactive pay increases.
• Resident’s benefits will be calculated as 90% of their PGY negotiated salary scale in the PARIM Collective Agreement.
  

See How are Qualifying Income and Benefit Amounts determined for more details.

A compassionate benefit of up to one month is available to qualifying physicians in the event of a stillbirth, death soon after birth or at 19 weeks or more gestation.

Maternity/​Parental benefits are taxable and Doctors Manitoba is required to submit income taxes on your behalf.

• Taxes are submitted at the maximum rate.
• a T4A slip will be issued to you for income tax purposes.

While benefits are being paid:

• You may also receive up to $2,000 gross income per week from all other sources. Other sources of income include Employment Insurance, salary top-ups, vacation pay, fee-for-service remittance income, disability insurance benefits, etc.

• Your weekly benefit will be reduced, dollar for dollar, if you receive more than $2,000 income from other sources during any one-week claim period.

Any income you receive while on leave for services you provided prior to the start of your parental leave should NOT be reported. It does not affect your benefit under this program. Only income earned and received while on leave should be reported.

To request an application form, contact Barry Hallman, Benefit Programs Coordinator at Doctors Manitoba at:

• (204) 985‑5865 or (204) 985‑5888
• toll-free for rural members: 1−888−322−4242, or
• bhallman@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca

You must complete and return the application form to establish your eligibility for benefits, and to determine the maximum weekly benefit you are eligible for and the maximum number of consecutive weeks you may claim.

• Once eligibility is determined, you will receive a series of simple biweekly claim forms. To receive your benefit for each biweekly period, you must submit a claim for detailing any income you have earned and received from all other sources during the claim period.
• Your benefit is then calculated and deposited directly to your bank account in two weeks following the end of each claim period. (Note: we are unable to make direct deposits to ​“line of credit” accounts).

You must begin your claim within six weeks of the adoption/​discharge of your child. To initiate your claim we need the following information, which is also indicated on the Application for Benefits form:

• Identifying information about yourself
• Key dates affecting your maternity/​parental leave
• Information on your qualifying income for each month during the 12 months prior to your leave
• A void cheque for direct deposit of benefit payments to your bank account. (Note: we are unable to make direct deposits to ​“line of credit” accounts)

Applications must be received within twelve months of the birth or adoption of a child. However the actual leave must have begun no later than 6 weeks after the date of the birth or adoption.

The amount of your weekly benefit is based on your qualifying income over the past year.

• The amount will be calculated as 90% of your average gross weekly earnings over the highest-earning six months of the 12 months (or portion thereof) immediately prior to your leave, up to a maximum.
• The maximum gross benefit is $2,000 per week, regardless of your qualifying income.
• If you have worked fewer than six months in the past year, your qualifying income will be calculated based on all weeks worked prior to the leave.
• Benefits will not be adjusted in the case of retroactive pay increases.

Your benefit level is affected by your past gross income.

• You will be required to report your monthly gross income on the application form so we can calculate your qualifying income. It will be calculated as 90% of your average gross weekly earnings.
• For licensed physicians, your average weekly earnings will be calculated using the highest-earning 6 months (or portion thereof) in the 12-month period immediately prior to your leave.
• For residents your benefit will be based on your PGY year.
• The maximum benefit available to all claimants is $2,000 per week regardless of prior income.

Example 1: A salaried physician who earned $12,000 gross income per month, for all 12 months prior to the start of the actual leave period.

• Gross income on best 6 months is 6 x $12,000 = $72,000
• Qualifying income per week is $72,000 / 26 weeks = $2,769
• 90% of qualifying income is 0.9 x $2,769 = $2,492
• Benefit is set at $2,000 per week

Example 2: A fee-for-service physician who worked only 8 months prior to the start of his or her actual leave. 

• We use the gross income from the best 6 months: $5,000, $5,000, $6,500, $7,500, $7,000, $9,000
• Total gross over best 6 months is $40,000
• Qualifying income per week is $40,000 / 26 weeks = $1,539
• 90% of qualifying income is 0.9 x $1,539 = $1,385
• Benefit is set at $1,385 per week

Example 3: A PGY2 Resident who worked 12 months prior to the start of their leave.

• We reference the PARIM Collective Agreement Salary Scales to find the associated salary with PGY2 Resident. In the most recent agreement, it is $69,369
• Qualifying weekly income is calculated as $69,369 / 52 = $1,334
• 90% of qualifying income is 0.9 x $1,334 = $1,201
• Benefit is set at $1,201 per week

You may earn and receive a maximum of $2,000 of income per week in addition to your parental leave benefit. If you earn and receive more than that, the extra earnings are deducted dollar for dollar from your benefit.

Example 1:

• Salaried physician is entitled to $2,000 per week from the Maternity/​Parental Benefit Program.
• The physician also receives $417 a week for Employment Insurance benefits.
• There is no reduction to the leave benefit.

Example 2:

• Physician is entitled to $2,000 per week from the Maternity/​Parental Benefits Program.
• The physician receives a substantial payout for delayed claims while on leave.
• There is no reduction to the leave benefit because the payout was for services provided before the parental leave period began. There is no need to report income for such services.

Example 3:

• Physician is entitled to $2,000 per week ($4,000 bi-weekly) from the Maternity/​Parental Benefits Program.
• The physician decides to provide services during leave and subsequently earns and receives a $4,500 remittance for those services while still on leave.
• The physician will receive only a $3,500 benefit for the biweekly leave period because she/​he exceeded the $4,000 bi-weekly maximum income from other sources by $500 ($4,500-$4,000 = $500).

If you have any other questions or concerns about this Program please contact Barry Hallman, Doctors Manitoba Benefit Programs Coordinator, by phone: (204) 985‑5865 or (204) 985‑5888 or 1−888−322−4242, fax: (204) 985‑5844, or e‑mail bhallman@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca