Family and Medical Leave (CFMLA)
Under the Paid Family and Medical Leave (CPFML) Act, eligible employees may access paid leave benefits starting January 1. PFML benefits are funded solely through employee contributions that began January 1, 2021. PFML benefits are available for leave taken under the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CFMLA) and for reasons related to family violence. The PFML Act amends the CFMLA, effective January 1, 2022. Amendments include:
-
- Dropping the employee threshold for employer coverage from 75 or more employees to one or more employees;
- Eliminating the hours-worked requirement for employee eligibility and dropping the months-worked requirement from 12 to three;
- Allowing up to 12 weeks of leave in any 12-month period (from 16 weeks in a 24-month period), and allowing an additional two weeks of leave for incapacitation during pregnancy;
- Broadening the list of covered family members to include grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, and individuals whose close association is equivalent to a covered family relationship, and amending the definitions of parent, son, or daughter and next of kin; and
- Allowing employees to retain at least two weeks of accrued paid leave that the employee may elect, or the employer may require the employee, to otherwise substitute for unpaid CFMLA.
The law is amended effective January 1, 2022.
Paid Family and Medical Leave (CPFML)
Beginning January 1, 2022, and according to Public Act 19-25 (an act to establish a paid family and medical leave system in Connecticut), the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave (CPFML) Insurance Program takes effect as a wage replacement, increasing with the state’s minimum wage, and provides:
-
- Up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave compensation (paid leave) to covered employees during any 12-month period; and
- Two additional weeks of compensation to a covered employee for a serious health condition resulting in incapacitation that occurs during pregnancy.
Under the act, the CPFML program and the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CFMLA) will generally run concurrently when used for a permitted purpose under both laws; however, that may not always be the case. The Connecticut Labor Commissioner will adopt regulations to clarify and implement the CPFML program, and amend the CFMLA, by January 1, 2022. Essentially, the CPFML program will provide wage replacement benefits (up to a maximum of 14 weeks) and the CFMLA will be revised to allow a similar 14-week maximum potential leave in a 12-month period.
Effective January 1, 2022. Connecticut Paid Leave began accepting applications for benefits December 1, 2021.