Connecticut: A Leader on Paid Family & Medical Leave
August 4, 2023Did you know residents in every town in the state have applied for CT Paid Leave? Approximately 66,000 workers in Connecticut have received over $375 million in benefits when they were unable to work due to qualifying health or family reasons.
In 2019, my colleagues and I had the honor of voting for legislation creating paid family and medical leave, and Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act 19-25 into law. Employee payroll contributions began in 2021. On January 1, 2022, benefit payments began for qualified applicants.
Families in Connecticut shouldn't have to worry about whether they can balance taking care of family needs or paying the bills. With this program, both can happen, as it offers partial income replacement benefits.
What qualifies for eligible leave?
- Parental bonding - the birth of an employee's child or placement of an adopted or foster child with the employee
- Serious health conditions - for the employee or a family member of the employee
- Donors - to serve as an organ or bone marrow donor
- Armed Forces - for family members in the armed forces undergoing treatment for an injury or illness incurred in the line of duty or being deployed to a foreign country
- Family violence - for family violence victims to seek medical care or counseling, obtain services from a victim services organization, relocate because of family violence, or participate in civil or criminal proceedings related to the family
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Connecticut is one of 13 states in the nation, along with Washington D.C., to pass paid family and medical leave legislation. New Hampshire and Vermont have enacted voluntary programs for employers who want to opt in.
Connecticut should be proud of its paid leave program. It is held up as a national model for other states to emulate.