Connecticut Paid Family Leave Resource Center
Connecticut joins New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and other states to introduce a Family and Medical Leave Act, providing Connecticut Paid Family Leave to care for family members or themselves due to a variety of circumstances or conditions.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1/3″][vc_raw_html]JTNDYSUyMGhyZWYlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmluc3VyYW5jZXdob2xlc2FsZXIubmV0JTJGbWEtcGFpZC1mYW1pbHktbWVkaWNhbC1sZWF2ZSUyRiUyM3dwY2Y3LWY0ODY4MS1vMSUyMiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyYnRuJTIyJTIwc3R5bGUlM0QlMjJmbG9hdCUzQSUyMHJpZ2h0JTNCJTIwbWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0JTNBJTIwNDBweCUzQiUyMGJhY2tncm91bmQtY29sb3IlM0ElMjNhYTA1MDAlMjAlM0IlMjBjb2xvciUzQSUyM2ZmZmZmZiUzQiUyMiUzRUNvbnRhY3QlMjB1cyUyMHRvJTIwc2F2ZSUyMG1vbmV5JTIwd2l0aCUyMHlvdXIlMjBwcml2YXRlJTIwUEZNTCUyMHBsYW4lM0MlMkZhJTNF[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1623745431898{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]Like the Massachusetts Paid Family Leave program, Connecticut combines family leave to care for family members (with a broad definition of family) and short-term disability for employees. CT Paid Family Leave Benefits and Who It CoversOne of the most generous PFML programs in the country, Connecticut pays employees 95% of the Average Weekly Wage up to 40 times the state minimum wage, then 60% AWW up to 60 times the state minimum wage. The maximum weekly benefit is $825.
Employees can take leave for up to 12 weeks in any 12-month period. The state grants two additional weeks for a pregnancy-related health condition that results in bedrest or the inability to work.
The policy covers anyone who needs to leave work to care for an infant, newly adopted child or new foster child within the first year of the event. It also covers short-term disability for employees who cannot work at their current job due to illness, injury, or pregnancy.
Connecticut also provides paid family leave (PFML) for victims of family violence. It covers paid time off for spouses of deployed members of the Armed Forces. It also covers paid time off for organ or bone marrow donations.
Finally, the family component of the plan covers paid leave for any employee who needs time off to care for any ill or aging family member. Connecticut defines “family” with a broader definition than New York, considering any blood relatives, as well as anyone under your roof as family.
If you are in charge of the health and well-being of another person, the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Act is likely to consider that individual family. The law defines a family member as any individual “related to the employee by blood or affinity whose close association the employee shows to be the equivalent of those family relationships.”
In terms of what Paid Family Leave in CT covers, plus its definition of family member, PFML in Connecticut represents one of the broadest Paid Family and Medical Leave Act policies signed into law in recent times.
CT Paid Family Leave: What Employers Need to Know
Unlike the previous legislation for Family and Medical Leave in CT, the new law applies to all private employers with at least one employee.
Eligible employees must have earned at least $2,325 in the base period, or the first four of the five most recently completed quarters. They must currently be employed or have been employed within the past 12 weeks prior to claiming leave. Wages can include salaried or hourly pay, vacation pay, paid holidays, tips, commissions, severance pay and the cash value of any “in-kind” payments.
CT Paid Family Leave is fully funded by employees, contributing 0.5 percent of their income via payroll deductions. Employers are not mandated to contribute to the program, except as employees of their own organization. Employers must withhold the payroll deductions and make the payments to the CT state Paid Family Leave fund.
Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act Timeline
In November 2020, employers were required to register with the CT Paid Leave Authority. Employers begin deducting premiums on January 1, 2021.
Benefits go into effect January 1, 2022.
How Employers Can Save Money and Get Better Service with Private Paid Family Leave in CT
Paid Family and Medical Leave in CT, as in Massachusetts and New York, is underwritten by the state. In Connecticut, it is written through a newly created agency called the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority.
Connecticut Paid Family Leave is funded entirely by employees, with no employer contributions other than the payroll deductions the owner will experience as an employee of the company.
There are still opportunities for business owners to save money and receive a higher level of service by privatizing PFML in Connecticut.
First, employers may be able to save money on their own payroll deductions, while also saving their employees money with lower premiums. Employees love having more money in their paycheck – especially if they don’t have to pay it back as a tax bill in April! Higher take-home pay can aid in recruiting and retaining top talent across Connecticut, especially in highly competitive sectors like technology, health care, and sales.
But what about the qualify of your private CT Paid Family Leave plan?
By law, private Paid Family and Medical Leave Act plans in CT must offer payouts the same or better than the state plan, with premiums equal to or lower than state premiums. Privatized plans typically offer faster underwriting, better service, increased benefits, and lower premiums. Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave is a stand-alone benefit. But employers may be able to save money by bundling it with ancillary benefits, including dental, vision, and group life.
If you want to write PFML in CT without bundling other benefits, though, your choice in carriers may be limited. DBL Center can write CT Paid Family and Medical Leave independent of other lines, making it easy and convenient to privatize family and medical leave in Connecticut. As of December 2020, employers must gain consent of 50%+1 of their employees before they can privatize PFML in Connecticut. The DBL Center can assist brokers in presenting private plans to their customers to get that buy-in and recommendation from employees.
We are here to help brokers and employers, alike, privatize Paid Family Leave in CT through our preferred carriers. You will benefit from our white-glove service, fast and flexible payouts, and potential discounts. Plus, DBL Center brokers who privatize Paid Family Leave in CT gain access to our exclusive Broker Dashboard app. Track commissions, renewals, and cancellations all in your private cloud. The Broker Dashboard puts brokers in control, enabling you to retain customers by being proactive about renewals and cancellations.
View our Broker Dashboard: Net Revenue Tracker video here.
Let DBL Center Help You with CT Paid Family Medical Leave
Paid Family and Medical Leave Laws can get confusing, with each state having different eligibility requirements, premiums, and payouts.
The State of Connecticut requires all employers who are interested in providing their employees with a Private Plan for PFML coverage to gain employee opt-in, with 50% + 1 of all employees voting that they agree with the plan.
Two weeks prior to the vote, employers must provide employees with a “Plain Language Guide” that describes, in easily understood words, what the plan offers, how employees can make a claim, what is covered, the costs to employees, and what insurance carrier is writing the plan.
For employers’ and brokers’ convenience, The DBL Center has provided a SAMPLE PLAIN LANGUAGE GUIDE as a downloadable PDF for employers to modify and use prior to voting.
Download the Plain Language Guide Here
Contact The DBL Center with any questions about the advantages of privatizing paid family medical leave in Connecticut under the new Paid Family and Medical Leave Act.
Read More About Connecticut Paid Family Leave
Since 2017 when New York introduced the Paid Family Leave Act, The DBL Center has been on the cutting-edge of reporting on these important statutory benefits for workers and their families. Read our extended coverage about Paid Family Leave in CT here:
Opportunities Grow for Statutory Insurance Brokers
As Connecticut Explores CT Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), Brokers Should Start Reaching Out
PFML and Employer PFML Contribution Requirements in Connecticut