CT Paid Sick Leave Expands October 1, 2023

On October 1, 2023, Connecticut’s Paid Sick Leave expands to permit two additional forms of use. Among other permitted uses, covered employees will be able to take paid sick time for (i) mental health wellness days – defined as a day to attend to a workers “emotional and psychological well-being in lieu of attending a regularly scheduled shift”, and (ii) to care for an employee’s child who is the victim of family violence or sexual assault, so long as the employee is not the actual or alleged perpetrator. 

Governor Ned Lamont signed the new law, S.B. 2, into legislation on June 26, 2023. Connecticut’s current sick leave law (codified at Connecticut General Statutes 31-57s) covers most employers with more than 50 employees within Connecticut. The law requires employers to permit accrual, rollover and use of up to 40 hours a year of paid sick leave for “service workers” — a category that applies to many – but not all – hourly, non-exempt employees.  Employers may comply with CT’s sick leave requirements by providing employees with alternative paid time off (e.g., vacation), so long as the time off meets or exceeds all the requirements of the sick leave law. Employers have just under three months to prepare for the effective date of this new law. 

Action Items for CT Employers:

• review and update and distribute existing sick leave and other time off policies and procedures, and
• train managers and HR staff to recognize and respond to requests for leave that fall into these new categories of permitted and protected use.