Session 1B: Paid FMLA, the Basics and Beyond (For Employers with fewer than 50 employees)

This session is designed for the employer with fewer than 50 employees and has not had to consider state or federal family and medical leave acts until now.

We will begin with a review of the laws giving leave rights and clarify which laws do not.  We will then focus on the basics of the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. You will learn which of your employees will be entitled to leave based on the length of employment and the reasons for being off. We will address the traps of “we are too busy to have you out-we’ll have to let you go” , the matter of workers’ compensation, group health coverage for the employee on leave and your obligations to return the employee to work.

You will learn:

· Laws Providing the Right to be Off the Job and Not be Fired;

· Three Questions You Must Answer in Looking at Leaves;

· Connecticut Leave Law versus Federal Leave;

· Deaf Ears: Three small employer arguments that will not work;

· The Stakes:  Enforcement, remedies and litigation;

· The Connecticut PFMLA Law: The basics;

· How Leave May be Taken:  Reduced and intermittent leave rules;

· Notice and Information Requirements;

· Medical Certifications;

· Understanding The FMLA Pay Formula;

· Pay and Benefits: STD, PTO and vacations and the “two-week rule,” group health and other benefits, and getting paid by the state;

· Restoration Rights.