Connecticut’s Paid Leave Authority offers paid and family leave benefits for employees and their family members with serious forms of COVID-19. 

The Paid Family Medical Leave Program (PFMLP) started accepting claims January 1, 2022. This program is open for all CT employers with at least one employee. 

What is a Serious COVID-19 Condition?

Connecticut’s Paid Family Leave Program only issues benefits for serious COVID-19 illness. Quarantine and isolation due to COVID-19 exposure or diagnosis are not qualifying reasons.

Serious COVID-19 conditions require medical treatment, according to CT’s Paid Leave Authority. Examples include hospitalization and follow-up care with prescription medications. 

Learn more about serious COVID-19 issues, according to CT’s Paid Leave Authority.

Employee Qualifications

Employees need to have earned at least $2325 during the “highest earning quarter of the first four out of five recently completed quarters.” 

They also have to be currently employed or employed in the last 12 weeks.

Paid Leave Income Replacement

Benefit amounts differ for each person, depending on how much they earn. The maximum amount is $780 per week which is 60 times CT’s minimum wage.

Benefits are funded entirely through employee payroll deductions of 0.5%, starting January 1, 2021. Contributions go into the Paid Leave Trust which is used to fund paid leave income replacement.

How to Apply for Connecticut’s PFML Program

Go to ctpaidleave.org and apply.

Once a claim has been accepted, workers can communicate with case managers, check on status and view payments.

Can Employers Use Private Paid Leave Programs Instead? 

Employers can choose to use a private paid leave program instead of the state’s. To do so, they have to request an exemption from Connecticut’s Paid Family Medical Leave program. 

To qualify, the private program must provide the same rights, benefits and protections as Connecticut’s Paid Leave program. Learn more about the requirements of a private paid leave program in CT. 

Are There Federal Paid Leave Programs

The federal FFCRA (Family First Coronavirus Relief Act expired December 2020. Under this legislation employees could receive paid time off due to COVID-19 for quarantine/isolation or caring for a family member with Coronavirus. Qualifying conditions did not necessarily have to be serious. Under the FFCRA Employers could receive a tax credit for providing this paid time. 

In 2022, a $21.27M federal budget has been allocated to support worker protection activities, including the resolution of remaining cases under the FFCRA.