ESIC Leave and Sickness Benefit: Do You Get Paid Monthly or After Returning to Work?

An employee is on ESIC leave, and it is advised by the doctors to remain on bed rest for 3 months. Would that member get sickness benefit or salary reimbursement for each month separately, or would they get it after they resume their duty? I request other members to share their experience.

Thanks,
Sandeep Mishra

Section 46 pertains to periodical payments, indicating the legislature's intention for compensation to cover wages that can assist the employee in sustaining themselves during sickness. Therefore, in my opinion, the payment should be made on a monthly basis rather than in a lump sum.

See this Employees State Insurance or ESI Act, Rules, Forms, Returns: Simplified: Sickness Benefit Under ESI or Employee State Insurance

Dear Sandeep Mishra,

Has the insured person's bank details been seeded in the ESI portal? ESI will make the payment depending upon the eligibility to the IP bank account. Is the IP eligible for availing cash benefits? Log in to the IP portal to know the eligibility.

Claiming Sickness Benefits Under ESI

1. As and when the insured person obtains a new medical certificate from the ESI dispensary and submits it to the appropriate Branch Office, they can submit the claim form (which is on the medical certificate itself). The appropriate branch office is required to calculate and send the sickness benefit through an online procedure to the insured person if they are eligible for such benefits. There are no hard and fast rules, but the medical certificate issued by the ESI dispensary must be submitted to the ESIC Branch Office immediately. Failing to do so, the Branch Manager is authorized to deduct the cash benefit amount from the insured person. Please see Regulation 64 of the ESI (General) Regulations, 1950.

Validity of the First Medical Certificate

2. The first medical certificate is only valid for one day or as may be mentioned by the Insurance Medical Officer. It is advisable to maintain a liaison with the appropriate ESI dispensary as well as the ESIC Branch Office to which the insured person is attached. However, such medical certificates are also submitted to the appropriate branch offices of ESIC online by ESI dispensaries wherever such a procedure is made applicable.