Paid FMLA Task Force Moves Ahead

A state task force continues to work on yet another potential mandate on Connecticut businesses—a program that would compensate employees who are out of work on family and medical leave.

Created by the legislature in 2013, the Task Force on Family Medical Leave Insurance is due to present its proposal to the Labor Committee by October in order to ready legislation for the 2015 General Assembly. 

Currently, FMLA is an unpaid benefit in Connecticut. It helps employees by allowing them to step away from work for extended leaves (up to 16 weeks over a two-year period) to tend to illnesses or injuries in the family, including their own medical issues.

The unpaid aspect of the benefit encourages employees to return to work as soon as possible.

Although currently unpaid, FMLA is not “free” for employers–they must continue paying their share of an employee’s non-wage benefits (such as healthcare premiums) on top of the costs for hiring and training replacement workers during an employee’s leave.

The details of the proposal to pay employees out on FMLA are still being hammered out–in particular, deciding who will pay for this new form of leave and by what means.    

CBIA will continue to monitor the task force as it begins fleshing out the details of this proposal. 

For more information, contact CBIA’s Eric Gjede at 860.244.1931 | eric.gjede@cbia.com | @egjede