Connecticut Celebrates 3 Years of Paid Family and Medical Leave as Program Nears $1 Billion in Benefits

Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, joined by Governor Ned Lamont, state and local officials, and advocates, on Monday celebrated the third anniversary of Connecticutpaid family and medical leave, saying the program has paid nearly $1 billion in benefits and has reach across the state.

"We are here to celebrate the success of Connecticut's paid family and medical leave program since it was started on 01/01/2021," Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz said, noting the program is on track to pay out $1,000,000,000 in benefits by December of this year. "Since the beginning, on 01/01/2021, the program has paid out over $990,000,000 in benefits across the state to 40,000 Connecticut employees."

The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority (CPL Authority) said the program has seen sustained growth in claim volume, with officials citing an 18% increase in claims since 2022 and particularly high use by women and younger workers. "Women represent 60 to 63 percent of all claims," Erin Choquette, CEO of the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority, said, and nearly half of claims (49.91%) come from workers ages 28 to 43.

Choquette said the authority has approved more than 90,000 claims and has helped approximately 140,000 unique individuals since benefits began in January 2022. She praised the authority's customer service and its partnership with Aflac (the claims administrator) and the United Way of Connecticut for employer outreach. "Stellar customer service is a core value of the authority," Choquette said.

Officials and advocates outlined how the claims break down by type: caregiver leave accounts for about 12% of claims (62% of those filed by women), bonding leave about 24% (53% filed by women). The authority also reported 42,257 participating employers and 3,274 sole proprietors or self-employed individuals enrolled in the program.

Senator Julie Kushner, one of the legislative champions, said she had worked on paid leave for years and emphasized the program's impact. "In my district alone, the 24th Senate District, over 5,000 people have received this benefit," Kushner said, adding that reaching nearly $1 billion in benefits in three years underscores how families struggled before the program existed.

Business owners and advocates attending the event credited the program with helping small businesses recruit and retain workers. "It is so important for small businesses to have this offering, to be able to attract and retain talent," Rory Gale, owner of Hartford Prince, said.

A statement read by Janae Woods Weber on behalf of Tanisha Senor, policy director of She Leads Justice, described a personal experience using the benefit: "I was pleasantly surprised to find the application to be easy, the customer service responsive and the approval timely," the statement said, recounting a high-risk pregnancy supported by timely leave and payments.

Speakers repeatedly addressed common concerns raised during the program's formation, saying fears about insolvency, abuse, or harmful effects on small business have not materialized. Officials said the authority will continue outreach and customer-service efforts while monitoring program use.

The event concluded with officials taking questions; no formal policy changes or votes were announced at the event.