Connecticut expands paid sick leave

Recently, Connecticut significantly expanded its paid sick leave law. Among other changes, the law will apply to more (and eventually all) Connecticut employers and will allow employees to use paid sick leave for illnesses suffered by a broader array of family members.

Original paid sick leave law

Connecticut originally passed a paid sick leave law in 2011. The law applied to employers with 50 or more “service workers,” who the law defined broadly to include a wide array of workers, including librarians and pharmacists. It allowed covered employees to accrue sick leave at the rate of one hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours of sick leave per year, and to then take leave to care for themselves, a child, or a spouse. Leave could be used for physical or mental health issues, including issues associated with family violence, etc. Various exceptions remain in the law after its expansion.

The law allowed employers to satisfy their requirements by offering “other paid leave,” such as paid vacation time, personal days, or paid time off (PTO). Many employers already had paid leave policies in place that satisfied the law.

New paid sick leave law