First payments reach state’s participants in paid-leave program

WINDSOR — Hundreds of payments have already gone out to the first participants in the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program, several days before the official Jan. 18 start date, state officials led by Gov. Ned Lamont announced on Friday.

“This makes Connecticut a leader that I like to think the rest of the country is going to follow,” Lamont said during a windy, cold news conference outside The Hartford’s headquarters here, where the program administrator, Atlanta-based insurer Aflac Inc. has an office.

Lamont said the program, which sends out Visa debit cards, should attract more talent to the state.

“I want Connecticut to be the most family-friendly state in the United States of America,” the governor said. “It’s the right thing to do for that parent. It’s the right thing to do for that mom. It’s the right thing to do for that kid. It’s the right thing to do to keep this economy growing. This is one more reason that you as a young family ought to think about moving to the state of Connecticut; setting up shop here; starting up a business or going to work.”

About 1,000 people will be receiving the paid-leave benefit in January and February for a variety of reasons, including caring for loved ones, adopting or caring for newborns or recovering from medical procedures.

Between $480,000 and $600,000 is expected to reach applicants over the next week in the projected $400 million annual benefit program that was approved by the General Assembly in 2019 and signed into law by Lamont, creating a statewide 1-percent payroll deduction.

More than 9,200 people have applied for the benefit, which is administered under a three-year contract with Atlanta-based Aflac, at a cost of $25 million a year, said Andrea Barton Reeves, CEO of Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority.

Barton said that 4,200 applications were for the workers’ own health conditions, with another 4,000 for pregnancy, childbirth and bonding leave.

Eleven leaves were sought for adoption and foster care or for people who have experienced family violence. Five leaves were requested for organ donations and one leave each was requested for a bone marrow donations and a military leave.

“This program is entirely funded by workers, so today we’re really excited because this is an opportunity to let workers care for themselves and their loved ones, without having to worry about going without any income in their households while they’re taking care of themselves,” Reeves said, calling for new program one of the most generous in the country.

Requirements include that applicants have worked 12 continuous weeks with a covered employer; and have earned at least $2,325 in the highest quarter of the first four or five recently completed quarters.

For minimum wage workers, the leave benefit is $494 a week. Other benefits depend on the amount people are paid. Someone who earns a gross annual salary of $60,000 would see a $780 weekly benefit for up to 12 weeks.

The legislation was successfully pursued by state Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, and state Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, the co-chairwomen of the legislative Labor Committee. “This is one of our babies,” Porter said, stressing that timely payments will become an important part of the program.

“We know that the majority of the women in this state are the folks that hold up this economy, and this bill is going to have an impact, especially on the lowwage workers who don’t have access to benefits, paid time off, sick leave, any of that,” Porter said. This legislation is not only historical, it is transformative.”

Kushner, a former regional director of the United Auto Workers, said that when she campaigned for Senate in 2018, paid leave was one of her top priorities. “We built one of the strongest programs in the country,” Kushner said. “That’s going to benefit the people of Connecticut. For too long people had to choose between taking care of a sick family member, or taking care of themselves and a paycheck.”