CT Paid Leave Town-By-Town: Who Is Using The Program

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut’s paid leave program provided more than $81 million in paid leave benefits to more than 16,300 workers in the first six months of the program accepting applications.

Here are some things to know about the program:

How is the program funded, and what is its balance?

The program is funded through a 0.5 percent payroll deduction (up to Social Security contribution limit), which started on Jan. 1, 2021. More than $517 million was collected through May 31 and the program had a balance of about $390 million.

The actual number of claims approved was much lower than projections. The authority hired an analyst firm that looked at paid leave programs in Washington state, Rhode Island and California and projected about 84,000 approved claims in the first 12 months (42,000 for six months) for Connecticut. About 19,700 claims were approved. Claims are expected to increase as the public becomes more aware of the program.

What are the qualified reasons for paid leave, and how have they been used?

• Serious medical conditions
• Parental bonding with a newborn or newly-placed adopted child.
• Providing care to a family member who is experiencing a serious health condition.
• Caring for a family member who is a member of the military who has experienced a line-of-duty injury or illness.
• Victims of family violence can take leave as well.

Personal illness or injury was the top reason for taking leave.

Nearly 5,700 parents used benefits to bond with newborn children. 44 percent of parents who took the leave were men.

The total number of female claim applicants were nearly double those from male applicants.

How many claims were submitted by town

The top 10 towns for claims submitted per 10,000 residents are:

1. Canaan: 379.6
2. Hampton: 225.7
3. Ansonia: 203
4. Bristol: 195.8
5. Meriden: 189
6. Plainville: 185.4
7. East Hartford: 184.2
8. Canterbury: 182.4
9. Griswold: 181.5
10. North Branford: 180.9

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Benefit level

For wages less than or equal to the state minimum wage, multiplied by 40: The weekly benefit is 95 percent of the recipient's base weekly earnings. Currently, that’s $560 weekly as of July 1.

Beyond that, the benefit level is $532, plus 60 percent of the amount of base weekly earnings that exceeds $532. The maximum benefit level is 60 times minimum wage, which is currently $840 weekly.

About 55 percent of weekly benefits paid were for the maximum amount, which was $780 until July 1. An employee would have needed to make about $51,800 or more to receive that amount.

Another 31 percent of claims were for a weekly benefit between $500 and $799, 12 percent were between $250 and $499 and 3 percent were for less than $250.

What is the denial rate?

More than 44,000 applications were submitted in the first six months of benefit availability. Of those, about 32,700 received a decision, with about 60 percent approved and 40 percent denied. The most common reason for denial was that required documents weren’t submitted.

About 4,800 COVID-19-related claims were made, but more than 85 percent were denied. COVID-19 denials accounted for nearly a third of all denied claims.

“A significant number of these denials related to COVID, and a high percentage of these cases were denied for lack of medical certification establishing that the claimant’s illness met the statutory definition of a serious health condition or were denied due to the failure to provide any of the required documentation,” the authority said in its 2022 report.