Bob Godfrey

Applications are now being accepted for Connecticut residents who want to participate in the state’s new paid family and medical leave program. Claims are being accepted for qualifying events that are happening on or after January 1, 2022. Connecticut is only the eighth state in the nation to enact a paid family and medical leave program.

Reasons to submit a claim include:

• Medical leave for one’s own serious health condition (which includes pregnancy, as well as serving as a bone marrow or organ donor)
• Caregiver leave to care for a family member experiencing a serious health condition
• Bonding leave to bond with a new child that has entered a person’s home through birth, adoption, or foster care
• Family violence leave to address issues arising from family violence
• Qualifying exigency leave to address issues arising from a parent, child, or spouse’s military deployment
• Military caregiver leave to care for a family member injured during active duty in the United States Armed Forces

The amount of income replacement varies based on a worker’s earnings and is capped at 60 times the state minimum wage. The combination of employer-provided benefits and benefits received under the paid leave program cannot exceed 100% of a worker’s normal weekly earnings. For more information about the program, please visit ctpaidleave.org