CT PAID LEAVE MARKS 100,000 BENEFIT RECIPIENTS

CT Workers have received over $638 million in benefits

February 20, 2024

Hartford CT — The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority (CTPL) announced that as of today, it has provided income-replacement benefits to more than 100,000 Connecticut workers, having paid $638,030,870.74 in benefits since January 2022. Claims have come from every town and city across the state. Over 50% of claims have been for a person’s own serious health condition, 35% have been for pregnancy/childbirth and bonding, and 12% have been to care for a family member experiencing a serious health condition. The remaining 3% of claims have been for other qualifying reasons: family violence leave, military caregiver leave, and qualifying exigency leave.

“In just over two short years, this program has helped more than 100,000 people who otherwise may not have been able to seek needed medical or psychological treatment, be there for a family member during their time of need or take an appropriate amount of time to bond with a new child. The advocates and legislators who fought to make this program a reality knew that the need was great. Their hard work and continuing support, together with the leadership of Governor Lamont, has made a concrete difference in the lives of Connecticut workers and their families,” Erin Choquette, CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority, said.

The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority works closely with third-party administrator Aflac for claims adjudication. “We are extremely pleased to see great improvement in how we are serving the people of Connecticut, due in large part to a great partnership with the CT Paid Leave Authority, and the people of the state of Connecticut, who have helped us to achieve all of the projected service levels related to customer calls and claims administration in 2023,” Alice Cotti, VP Government Business Solutions said. “With over 360,000 incoming phone calls to our call center last year, we understand how important this program is to Connecticut residents and will continue to utilize all appropriate tools, resources, and expertise to make this an even better service for the Connecticut workers who rely on this program.”

Connecticut workers who have used the CT Paid Leave program share positive sentiments about their experiences, such as:

• “From start to finish — a good experience. The representatives I spoke with were very helpful and patient in explaining what needed to be done.”
• “My case manager was very helpful, and I loved her attitude and her proactive worth ethic which led to an overall great experience for me. She made me feel comfortable and like I was well taken care of.”
• “Was much quicker and easier than expected. Technicians were always extremely nice and accommodating on the phone, and the process was very straightforward without any surprises along the way.” quicker and easier than expected. Technicians were always extremely nice and accommodating on the phone, and e process was very straightforward without any surprises along the way.”

To begin an application for CT Paid Leave benefits, workers can visit ctpaidleave.org or call (877) 499–8606.