Christine Palm Explains New Paid Family & Medical Leave Program

ESSEX, CHESTER, DEEP RIVER, CT — Applications for New Paid Family & Medical Leave Program to be Accepted Starting January

Dear Neighbor,

It is with a combination of relief, joy and pride that I announce that the State's Family and Medical Leave program is up-and-running, and will begin accepting applications for claims right after the New Year.

In my former role with the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, I was part of a team working to lay the foundation for this life-altering program. To see it bear fruit, after seven years of advocacy, feels miraculous!

Sooner or later, we will all need time off to care for ourselves or a loved one. According to the AARP, family members contribute about $470 billion worth of unpaid care each year to family members. Paid Leave will help ease that burden so that no one in Connecticut will ever again have to choose between providing (or getting) care, and earning a paycheck.

I am extremely grateful to all the advocates who worked with me on this initiative over the years.

(Pictured above: Legislators and advocates who worked hard to pass paid family and medical leave in Connecticut)

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.

For more information about the program, please visit ctpaidleave.org.

Please feel free to contact me by email at Christine.Palm@cga.ct.gov with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Christine Palm
State Representative

This press release was produced by the office of Christine Palm. The views expressed here are the author's own.