All Connecticut Employers Are Covered by State Family and Medical Leave Act Beginning 2022

Tanya A. Bovée, Russell N. Jarem & Sally Welch St. Onge

Have any employees in Connecticut? Then you are covered by the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (Connecticut FMLA). All employers with at least one employee in Connecticut are covered by the Connecticut FMLA as of Jan. 1, 2022. The Connecticut FMLA has been in effect for many years. It previously covered only employers with at least 75 employees in Connecticut.

Connecticut FMLA obligations for employers with any employees in Connecticut include:

Employees are eligible after three months of employment.
Eligible employees are entitled 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for various covered reasons.
Two additional weeks may be available for an incapacitating serious health condition during a pregnancy.
If the employer is also covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, these leave periods may or may not run concurrently.

In addition, nearly all employees in Connecticut are eligible for paid leave benefits through the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority beginning Jan. 1. This is a separate monetary benefit from the job-protected leave under the Connecticut FMLA.

Finally, remember that employers with at least 50 employees in Connecticut may need to comply with the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law, which has been in effect for years and applies to non-exempt “service workers,” as defined by the law.

***This article originally appeared on the Jackson Lewis’ Disability, Leave & Health Management blog and was reposted on the DMEC website with their permission.***