CT's Paid Family & Medical Leave Program Set To Start

December 3, 2021

Connecticut's landmark Paid Family and Medical Leave Program applications are now being accepted for Connecticut residents who want to participate in the state’s program. Claims are being accepted for qualifying events that are happening on or after January 1, 2022. 

Under the program, which the legislature passed in 2019, eligible workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks of time off work for certain qualifying events without losing income.

Connecticut is only the eighth state in the nation to enact a paid family and medical leave program. Currently, only 13% of private-sector workers in the United States have access to paid family and medical leave.

The program is administered by the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Applications can be submitted starting in January 2022 through the website at ctpaidleave.org or via email, fax, phone, or mail. The toll-free application hotline is 877-499-8606. 

Qualifying reasons to submit a claim include:
 
• Medical leave for a serious health condition including pregnancy, or serving as a bone marrow or organ donor
• Caregiver leave to care for a family member experiencing a serious health condition
• Bonding leave for a newborn child through birth, adoption, or foster care
• Family violence leave to get medical or psychological care
• Workers caring for injured military family members or a spouse’s military deployment
 
The amount of income replacement varies based on a worker’s earnings and is capped at 60 times the state minimum wage up to $780 per week. The combination of employer-provided benefits and benefits received under the paid leave program cannot exceed 100% of a worker’s normal weekly earnings.