Connecticut has approved a major overhaul to its Paid Sick Leave laws. These changes will bring the leave more in line with popular Paid Sick Leave laws like those of New York and New Jersey. This new version of Paid Sick Leave is set to become effective on January 1, 2025.

 

The significant changes are as follows:

 

- The employee threshold for determining whether an employer must abide by the Paid Sick Leave law will gradually be reduced (from 50 employees) annually, until it completely disappears on January 1, 2027. This means that on January 1, 2025, employers with at least 25 employees must provide Paid Sick Leave to their employees.

 

- The employee classification for who is eligible for leave will be changed. The law will no longer apply only to “service workers” but rather to all employees (except seasonal employees).

 

- The rate of accrual will be changed from 1 hour of sick leave earned for every 40 hours worked to 1 hour of sick leave earned for every 30 hours worked. If the employee provides all mandated sick leave upfront at the beginning of the year, the employer does not need to track accrual and carryover.

 

- The number of incidents that will trigger employee Paid Sick Leave eligibility has increased:

 

- An employee’s injury, illness, or health condition;

 

- An injury, illness, or health condition of the employee’s family member;

 

- The medical care, diagnosis, or treatment of the employee or the employee’s family member;

 

- Preventative care (both physical and mental) for the employee and the employee’s family member;

 

- A mental health wellness day for the employee;

 

- Closure by order of a public official, due to a public health emergency, of either an employer’s place of business or a family member’s school or place of care;

 

- A determination by a health authority, employer of the employee, employer of a family member, or a healthcare provider of whether an employee or employee’s family member poses a risk to the health of others due to exposure to a communicable illness, whether or not the employee or family member contracted the communicable illness; and

 

- Where an employee or employee’s family member is a victim of family violence or sexual assault, provided that the employee is not the alleged perpetrator, for the purposes of:

 

- Medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability;

 

- Obtaining services from a victim services organization;

 

- Relocating due to such family violence or sexual assault; or

 

- Participating in any civil or criminal proceeding related to or resulting from such family violence or sexual assault.

 

- Employers will not be allowed to require documented proof of the leave’s purpose before they approve the leave itself.

 

- Employers will be required to provide notice to all employees of their rights under Paid Sick Leave Law individually at the time of hire.

 

- Employers will be required to add wage records, Paid Sick Leave Hours accrued, and Paid Sick Leave Hours used on pay stubs beginning January 1, 2025.