Paid family leave showing signs of success

Connecticut’s paid leave program came in for all kinds of criticism as it was proposed, enacted and came online. People will abuse it, naysayers said. Lazy workers will put in for leave and then hang out at the beach, or maybe they’ll use their extra time for something they shouldn’t be doing. In any event, critics said, it won’t work.

It’s early yet, but indications are that critics were wrong. Connecticut’s paid leave program is providing people with help they need and not hurting the economy. Its fund to pay out benefits is robust, organizers say, and the average length of time people are taking away from work has been lower than expected.

The program’s early success should be a model for the rest of the nation, and for other public benefits programs. They can be done right, and in the process provide a major service.

As of the end of May, the state of Connecticut had approved 19,700 claims out of about 44,000 applications. Some $81 million in benefits has been paid out. And while applying is a simple process, not just anyone can be approved. The most common reasons for approval are an employee’s illness or injury, a new child or care of a family member.

The United States is virtually alone on the planet in not offering any kind of paid family medical leave. While people are allowed to take time off and hold onto their job, it’s not paid at the national level. Connecticut’s policy is aimed at filling in that gap.

Like any new public benefit, it was introduced to a chorus of doubts. But those doubts have started to fade as employers have seen evidence that the system works and is not subject to widespread abuse. There are safeguards in place, and the cost is not onerous.

The benefits, however, are significant. The ability to care for a family member in a time if need without a loss of income is something that shouldn’t be rare, but too often is. Today, in Connecticut, it’s becoming part of the expected package of benefits, which is as it should be.

There is still work ahead, including in outreach to people who are eligible for the program and may not know about it. That including the smallest businesses and the self-employed, people who have just as many needs but sometimes less flexibility in terms of time off. Often if they don’t work, they simply don’t get paid.

But everyone deserves the right to care for a newborn, bond with a new child or take time off in the event of a sickness or injury, and no one should have to worry they won’t be able to pay the bills if they do. As U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro said in defending the program, if members of Congress have that benefit, so should everyone.

There’s a broader lesson, too, and it’s worth bearing in mind as members of Congress search for a way to extend the expanded child tax credit that DeLauro has long championed. When a benefit is offered to people struggling to get by, don’t assume they’ll misuse it. People need a hand. If we have the chance, we need to give it to them.

The ability to care for a family member in a time if need without a loss of income is something that shouldn’t be rare, but too often is.