Dominique Johnson

Did 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.

On June 25, 2019, Governor Lamont signed P.A. 19-25 into law, creating CT Paid Leave, and employee payroll contributions began in 2021. One year later, 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. 

Connecticut is one of 13 states in the nation to pass paid family and medical leave legislation, along with California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, as well as Washington D.C. States including 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. Click here to learn more. 

In preparation for the upcoming school year, Connecticut Children's has put together a back-to-school kit for parents that includes several valuable resources.
A sample of the resources include:

• Getting Back to School Sleep Schedules Back on Track- by Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg, Director of the Connecticut Children’s Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program
• 6 Ways to Raise Children with a Growth Mindset- by Dr. Preeti Sandhu, Pediatric Psychologist
• Backpack Wearing Do’s and Don’ts- by Dr. Philip Mack, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon
• And more!

Click here to access these important documents. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced the scheduled periodic closures and detour of I-95 SB Off Ramp and I-95 NB On Ramp at Exit 17 in Westport from Wednesday August 9 through Friday September 15 between the hours of 9 A.M. to 3 P.M.

These closures are necessary for the removal of loose rock and presplitting of rock in preparation for blasting to improve the safety of the roadway.

The proposed closure and Detour are as follows:
 
I-95 SB Off Ramp at Exit 17 Detour
The traffic will be detoured to Exit 18 Off Ramp to Sherwood Island Connector from I-95 SB and then to Route 1 and Riverside Avenue (SR 33).
 
I-95 NB On Ramp at Exit 17 Detour
The traffic will be detoured via Riverside Avenue (SR 33) to Route 1 to Sherwood Island Connector On Ramp to I-95 NB.