FMLA in Connecticut is closely tied to federal FMLA guidelines. There are a number of minor differences, for example, Connecticut’s Family & Medical Leave Act definition of a “serious health condition” includes a nursing home under inpatient care and outpatient treatment under continuing treatment by a healthcare provider. However, FMLA in Connecticut does not include the federal requirement that the serious health condition of the employee must make the employee unable to perform one or more of the essential functions of his or her job.

FMLA in Connecticut does not include on the list of covered employers: state, municipality, a local or regional board of education, or a private or parochial elementary or secondary school. It further mandates that the number of employees of an employer will be determined on October 1, annually. As with any application of business law, it is prudent to speak with an attorney before implementing any strategy to deal with areas of compliance, regarding FMLA in Connecticut, as well as federal applications.

The most obvious variations in requirements between FMLA in Connecticut and federal FMLA are the fact that Connecticut places the number of employees at seventy-five for covered employer qualification, as opposed to the federal cutoff of fifty. Also, Connecticut allows sixteen weeks of leave in any twenty-four month period as opposed to the twelve weeks in twelve months permitted by federal FMLA. Finally, FMLA in Connecticut reduced the employee qualification requirement of hours worked over a twelve month period from the federal level of twelve hundred and fifty to just one thousand hours.

FMLA in Connecticut, as with many other states that found it necessary to supplement the existing federal FMLA, are experiencing varying degrees of confusion. The best rule of thumb, if any apparent discrepancies arise, is to utilize the law(s) that provide(s) the greatest benefit for the employee. And the best way to avoid compliance problems is to utilize a user-friendly leave administration system that was created from the ground up, for the exclusive purpose of organizing, orchestrating, and documenting all necessary leave administration duties. In light of  the U.S. Supreme Court’s, June 26, 2013 ruling that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act’s marriage definition, Connecticut’s recognition of same-sex marriage now requires employers to treat all couples legally married and living in Connecticut in the same manner regarding the application of federal FMLA in Connecticut.

FMLA in Connecticut, federal FMLA, and company policies can all be administered in a totally compliant fashion with the assistance of Qcera’s LeaveSource™ product line. This highly-secure, cloud-based solution has provided covered employers of any size, a successful, cost-effective, and user-friendly method for dealing with the confusion of absence administration compliance. For more information, visit the website at www.leavesource.com or click on the red button above to schedule a demonstration.