CONNECTICUT PAID SICK LEAVE LAW - Effective January 1, 2025
Killingly Public Schools complies with the requirements of the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave law by providing up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per benefit year for qualifying employees. This policy sets forth the parameters regarding the accrual and use of paid sick leave.
Covered Employees
All employees are covered by the paid sick leave law, including full-time, part-time, per-diem, temporary, hourly and salaried exempt employees (who work 120 days per year)
Basics
- Employees hired after January 1, 2025, will be eligible for CT Paid Sick leave 120 calendar days after date of hire
- Employees may use accrued paid sick leave in 1-hour increments
- The “benefit year” is the period from July 1st - June 30th
- Employees will be provided with their forthcoming year’s entitlement at the beginning of the benefit year
Use of Leave
- An employee may use paid sick leave for his/her own:
- illness, injury or health condition;
- the medical diagnosis, care or treatment of his or her mental or physical illness, injury or health condition;
- preventative medical care; or
- mental health wellness day
- An employee may use paid sick leave for a family member’s:
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- Illness, injury or health condition
- The medical diagnosis, care or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition; or
- Preventative medical care
- An employee may use paid sick leave for closure by order of a public official, due to a public health emergency, of either:
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- An employer’s place of business; or
- A family member’s school or place of care
4. An employee may use paid sick leave when a health authority, the employer of the employee or the employee’s family member, or a health care provider determines that the employee or the employee’s family member poses a risk to the health of others because of exposure to a communicable disease.
5. An employee may use paid sick leave if the employee or the employee’s family member is a victim of family violence or sexual assault:
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- for medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability;
- to obtain services from a victim services organization;
- to relocate due to such family violence or sexual assault;
- to participate in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from such family violence or sexual assault.
“Family Member” - means a spouse, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, or parent of an employee, or an individual who is related to the employee by blood or by an affinity whose close association to the employee can show to be equivalent to those family relationships.
Notice and Documentation
Employees are not required to provide advance notice before using paid sick leave. The employer is prohibited from requiring an employee to provide any documentation that paid sick leave is being taken for a reason covered by the paid sick leave law.
There are times when notice and documentation will be required if the employee’s absence(s) are due to a qualifying reason under an applicable state or federal law, including the CT Family and Medical Leave Act (CTFMLA). Paid sick leave and CTFMLA may run concurrently, and if so, the requirements of the CTFMLA must be adhered to by both the employee and the employer.
Separation
If an employee has unused accrued paid sick leave at the time of separation, the employer will follow its regular policy regarding payout of paid time off.
Recordkeeping
Employers must track and keep records of hours worked and paid sick leave accrued and used for every employee as part of its normal record-keeping obligations.
Prohibition of Retaliation or Discrimination
- Retaliatory personnel action or discrimination are prohibited because the employee:
- Requests or uses paid sick leave either in accordance with the law; or
- In accordance with the employer’s own paid sick leave policy, as the case may be; or
- Files a complaint with the CT Department of Labor alleging the employer has violated the law.
Complaint
Any employee aggrieved by a violation of the provisions of the law may file a complaint with the CT Department of Labor. Employees may file a complaint on the CT Department of Labor website: https://portal.ct.gov/dol/divisions/wage-and-workplace-standards/wage-complaint?language=en
