Coverage and Eligibility

Covered employers

Who is NOT a covered employer?

• federal government
• municipalities, unless their unionized employees collectively bargain to participate
• local or regional boards of education, unless their unionized employees collectively bargain to participate
• non-public elementary or secondary schools
• railroads
• governments of other states
• sovereign nations (including tribes)

These individuals may also be excluded:

• Interstate truck drivers who work in Connecticut but live in another state and thus do not pay income tax in Connecticut
• Spouses of active duty military members who have opted to continue to pay taxes in their home state instead of Connecticut
• Individual workers who work for subminimum wage pursuant to a 14C certificate

A note for employees of schools

Employees of local and regional boards of education can negotiate through collective bargaining to be included. If that occurs, all of the employees of that particular board of education, union and non-union, will be covered by the CT Paid Leave Program. 

Private colleges, universities and other post-secondary schools are covered by the CT Paid Leave Program.  Because the employees of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities and UCONN are employed by the State of Connecticut, they follow the same rules as other State of Connecticut employees. Non-unionized employees are covered by the CT Paid Leave Program and unionized employees of these institutions are not covered unless they negotiate for coverage through collective bargaining.

Top things to know if you work for a municipality or board of education

• A municipalities or board of education is not a covered employer under CT Paid Leave unless one or more of its bargaining units collectively bargains to be included. That means their employees do not contribute to the program and they are not eligible for benefits. 
• If one or more bargaining units collectively bargain with their employer to participate in the CT Paid Leave program, then all of the non-represented employees of that municipality or board of education will also become participants in the program.
• Employees represented by any bargaining unit in that municipality or board of education that did not bargain for participation will continue to be excluded from the program. 
• The municipality or board of education must notify the CT Paid Leave Authority by providing a copy of the collective bargaining agreement, registering on the CT Paid Leave website as an employer, and deducting the required contributions from the wages of the affected employees.
• Contributions shall be deducted from the wages of the affected employees on the first day of the month after the effective date of the collective bargaining agreements. 
• The affected employees will not be able to apply for CT Paid Leave benefits until the later of the following: the first day of the month following 3 full calendar months from the date of registration; or the first day of the month coinciding with or immediately following the effective date of the collective bargaining agreement.
• Collectively bargaining for participation in the CT Paid Leave program does not automatically result in changing the employees' rights to job protected leave. Employees cannot collectively bargain into coverage under the CT FMLA, as enforced by the CT Department of Labor, but they may collectively bargain for a policy that adopts the provisions of the CT FMLA, such as eligibility for job protected leave after 3 months of employment and the broader definition of family for caregiver leave.