Session 1A: Paid FMLA, the Basics and Beyond (For Employers with 50 or more employees)

In this not-for-the-beginner session, we will give an up-to-date review of the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Act.  We will review unique aspects of the state FMLA and examine the differences between the state and federal law.  We will hear from Atty. Heidi Lane, the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Director of the Legal Division on the steps the Connecticut DOL has and will be taking to ready the state for implementation.

Among the topics we will cover:

· What we learned from Massachusetts’ 2020 paid leave implementation;

· Coverage Basics:  The out-of-state employer and employees, temp agencies, independent contractors, and out-of-state employees:

· Leave Law Comparison: State v. federal leave;

· Understanding Leave Stacking: Where it applies and where it doesn’t;

· The Definition of Family: Common law marriage and “like family” complications in the state law;

· Reduced and Intermittent Leave Rules;

· Notice and Information Requirements;

· Medical Certifications and Proof of Family Relationships;

· Pay and Benefits: STD, PTO, state pay, group health and other benefits;

· Restoration Rights;

· Interference, Discrimination and Retaliation Claims;

· Enforcement, Remedies and Litigation;

· Eight Action Steps to Consider Now.