See how a disability policy's waiting and benefit periods mesh with EI sickness benefits over time, and why EI stacks with a personally-owned policy but is clawed back against a group one.
When you can't work, several payors may help, but they're layered, not simultaneous. EI sickness benefits start about two weeks in (day 15) and last a limited time. Your private DI policy only begins after its waiting/elimination period, then runs to the end of its benefit period. Each week's bar is your pre-disability weekly income, split into what EI replaces (amber), what DI replaces (blue), and the unreplaced portion you self-fund (grey).
The catch: EI sickness is a "second payor." It's clawed back dollar-for-dollar against group and government disability benefits, but not against a policy you pay for personally. Toggle ownership and watch the amber EI band during the overlap weeks: it stacks on top of DI when personally-owned, and gets offset (shrinks or vanishes) under a group plan. CPP/QPP disability sits behind both: "severe and prolonged," ~4-month wait, payable to 65.