ESI Contribution Period [Thread 579945]

Hi, Currently, my employer is deducting ESI from my salary due to the new ESI rule, which increased from 15,000 to 21,000 INR. My contribution started in January 2017. When can I begin using ESI benefits at ESI hospitals?

1. Sir, in the ESI Act of 1948 and the rules and regulations framed thereunder, there are two types of benefits. Firstly, benefits in kind in the form of medical services, which are available from ESI dispensaries and hospitals, etc. Once an employee is enrolled under the said Act and an Insurance Number/Identity Card/TIC is issued, the employee becomes entitled to the same benefits until the end of the benefit period. The second type of benefits is cash benefits, which are provided in the form of cash payments. Various terms and conditions need to be fulfilled and complied with for the payment of these cash benefits. You can download relevant literature on this issue from the ESIC website.

2. However, entitlement to such benefits and the actual utilization of these benefits are two separate aspects since these benefits are available under specific circumstances such as sickness, maternity, accidents, etc.

Please note the corrections made to the spelling, grammar, and paragraph formatting for better clarity and readability.

Thank you, Harsh, but you mentioned "benefit period." Then my question will be: Does the benefit period start immediately once the ESI card is issued? Also, what exactly defines a benefit period?

Sir, I have already mentioned that the entitlement for medical benefits (i.e., treatment) under the ESI Act, 1948, and rules/regulations framed thereunder starts immediately when the TIC/Identity Card is issued to an employee and continues the same until the benefit period for the said employee closes. However, concerning cash benefits, the benefit period starts after the expiry of 9 months from the date of employment of the person (see proviso to Regulation 4), and that too only if the minimum contributory conditions are fulfilled for the insured person. I hope for further studies, you can download literature on the above Act from the website of ESIC.

A contribution period ends in March. Now in June, can an employer deposit ESI short payments for the month of Feb? Kindly help.