Connecticut marks three years of paid family and medical leave as benefits near $1 billion

Connecticut officials and advocates gathered on Pratt Street in Hartford to mark the third anniversary of the state's paid family and medical leave program and to note the program has paid nearly $1 billion in benefits and is on track to reach $1 billion by December.

Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz said the milestone shows the program's "very broad reach in just a few years and its vital importance to our workforce," noting the program started on Jan. 1, 2021 and that, "since the beginning ... the program has paid out over $990,000,000 in benefits across the state to 40,000 Connecticut employees."

The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority's chief executive, Erin Choquette, said the authority began paying benefits in January 2022 and described continued growth in use: "We have approved over a 90,000 claims, helping approximately 140,000 unique individuals who needed just a little time away from work to recover from a serious illness, care for a sick family member, welcome a new child into their family..." Choquette also said the authority has seen a 9% increase in claim volume in the past 12 months.

The officials and advocates at the event emphasized the program's effects on workers, employers and recruitment. Choquette credited Aflac, the program's claims administrator, and a dedicated unit at the United Way of Connecticut for customer service and employer outreach. Mayor of Hartford (speaker not identified by full name in the transcript) said paid leave prevents short-term illnesses in a family from becoming financial crises for many households. Rory Gale, owner of Hartford Prince, said the program helps small businesses "attract and retain talent," calling the benefit "huge" for small employers who want to care for their staff.

Speakers and the program provided a series of usage and demographic figures at the event. The authority and other speakers reported these figures in the remarks: women account for about 63% of claims; bonding leave (time to care for a new child) represents about 24% of claims with roughly 53% of those claims filed by women; caregiver leave accounts for about 12% of claims with about 62% filed by women. The authority also presented participation counts of employers and self-employed people: 42,257 employers participating, and 3,274 sole proprietors or self-employed individuals enrolled. Officials said nearly 50% (49.91%) of claims come from workers ages 28 to 43.

Advocates shared first‑hand experience using the program. Tanisha Senor, policy director of the nonprofit She Leads Justice, provided a written statement read at the event in which she described using the benefit for a high‑risk pregnancy and praised the application process and customer service: "I was able to focus on what suddenly became a high risk pregnancy and delivery... I was relieved to know the money was coming and I didn't have to stress about weekly filing." Janae Woods Weber, leader of She Leads Justice, read Senor's statement.

Speakers also sought to rebut early criticisms of the program. Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz and other speakers addressed past predictions the program would be insolvent or unduly burdensome for small business, saying Connecticut remains solvent and that paid leave helps employers recruit and retain workers. Senator Julie Kushner, who led advocacy for the law, described long-term organizing efforts and noted the program's impact in the communities she represents, saying in part that the program has "made a transformative change for so many families here."

Event participants described the program as a tool for economic stability, gender equity and family support and said the authority will continue to prioritize customer service and outreach. No formal votes or policy changes were announced at the event.

The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority and event speakers provided the usage and participation figures cited above; presenters used different metrics at times (for example, the authority cited claims approved and unique individuals served, while other speakers cited employees reached), and the article reports those figures as spoken.