Is My Grandmother Eligible for ESI Coverage After Her Heart Attack? Seeking Advice

Dear All,

I am working in a Private Limited Company and have an ESI card. Yesterday, my maternal grandmother had a heart attack. She has been staying with us since my childhood as she doesn't have any children except my mother. I am unmarried, and my father, paternal grandfather, and paternal grandmother have passed away. My mother is a housewife.

Kindly advise me on whether my grandmother is covered under ESI.

Regards,
Prem Kumar

Since your parents are not alive, you can include your grandmother as your dependent provided her monthly income does not exceed Rs 5000. As per section 2(6A)(g), grandparents are dependents if no parent of the insured person is alive.

Regards,
Madhu.T.K

Clarification on ESI Benefits for Family Members

I am extremely sorry to say that I have given a wrong interpretation to the term "dependent." The above-given interpretation applies only to cases of deceased insured persons to receive a pension and not for medical benefits. The exact position in ESI is that only the spouse, children, and dependent parents (mother and father of the insured person) are eligible for benefits. Grandparents do not come under the family; thus, they cannot receive any ESI benefits. In the case of a deceased insured person, the grandparents can receive a pension provided the insured person's family members and parents are not alive.

Please bear with me and correct the post accordingly.

Regards, Madhu.T.K

Eligibility of Maternal Grandmother for ESI Benefits

1. The initiator of this thread wanted to know whether his maternal grandmother can be enrolled as a "family member" to receive medical facilities under the provisions of the ESI Act, 1948, and the rules/regulations framed thereunder. As per the definition of "family" under section 2(11), only dependent parents can be included in such a category, subject to an income ceiling as fixed, and not the maternal grandmother.

2. On this site, in one of the old threads, I found some references regarding the maternal grandmother in the following thread:

https://www.citehr.com/415215-esic-b...andmother.html

3. In the above-referred old thread, the issue was whether the maternal grandmother should be treated as a "dependent" within section 2(6-A) of the said Act. As per the thread, the claim was rejected. In the said section, the reference is only for "paternal grandparent." Hence, in my opinion, in view of the above provisions, the maternal grandmother is neither a dependent nor a family member and, hence, is not eligible for medical benefits under the said Act.