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Connecticut State Resources

 

This page has information specific to this state, including contact information for federal and state agencies, and some key information about laws and consumer protections. Sometimes, state laws are more protective than federal law. For more information on this state's specific laws (e.g., on employment or health insurance), visit Triage Health's Charts of State Laws.

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Advocacy

Disability Insurance

Federal Disability Programs

Private Disability Insurance

  • You can also purchase short-term and/or long-term disability insurance directly from a private insurance company or this type of insurance may be offered by your employer as an employee benefit. See our Quick Guide to Long-Term Disability Insurance for more information.

Employment

Federal Fair Employment

  • The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. The laws apply to all types of work situations, including hiring, firing, promotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits. For more information about the EEOC, including how to file a complaint, visit the EEOC's website, call 800.669.4000, or email info@eeoc.gov.
  • The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, that provides free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues. They also have several resources on how to approach an employer to request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and a Searchable Online Accommodation Resource where individuals can find suggested accommodations based on job duties or limitations that they are experiencing. For more information, visit the JAN website, call 800.526.7234, or email jan@AskJAN.org.

State Fair Employment

State Unemployment

Vocational Rehabilitation

More Information

Employment - Taking Time Off

Federal Leave Laws

State Family & Medical Leave (for self & for caregivers)

  • For more information on the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CTFMLA), visit the Connecticut Department of Labor, The Connecticut Family & Medical Leave Act and CT Paid Leave.
    • Who's eligible? Employees that have been employed by the employer for at least three consecutive months.
    • Who can be cared for? A spouse, sibling, son or daughter, grandparent, grandchild or parent, or an “affinity relationship.” An “affinity relationship” exists if you consider your relationship with an individual to be equivalent to the relationship one would have with a spouse, sibling, son, daughter, grandparent, grandchild, or parent.
    • How much time is given? 12 work weeks in a 12 month period
    • An individual must complete a Certification of Health Care Provider Form for their own serious health condition. They must also complete a Certification of Health Care Provider Form for their family member's serious health condition.

State Paid Family Leave (for caregivers)

  • Connecticut passed paid family leave legislation in 2019 and benefits are available as of January 1, 2022.
    • Who’s eligible? All private sector employees. Self-employed individuals and state/local collective bargaining units can opt-in. Employees must also have earned at least $2,325 from one or more employers during the highest-earning quarter of the base period and have been employed by an employer in the previous 12 weeks before the claim.
    • Who can be cared for? A family member with a serious health condition or an employee’s own serious health condition. Paid leave is also available for an employee serving as an organ or bone marrow donor. “Family member” is defined broadly and includes a child, parent, parent-in-law, spouse, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or another person who is related to an employee by blood or affinity whose close association the employee shows to be the equivalent of a family relationship.
    • How much time is given? 12 weeks.
    • How much is paid? The amount paid depends on the employee’s base pay. If the employee is paid less than or equal to Connecticut’s minimum wage, they will receive 95% of the worker’s average weekly wage. If the employee earns more than minimum wage, they will receive 95% of minimum wage + 60% of the worker’s wage that exceeds the Connecticut minimum wage. The maximum that can be received is equal to 60 times the Connecticut minimum wage.
    • How do I apply? Visit Connecticut Paid Leave for more information.

State Paid Sick Leave (for self)

  • Connecticut passed a law providing for paid sick leave, effective January 1, 2012. The law applies to all employers with over 50 employees. Under Connecticut law, employees must earn at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked; however, an employee cannot use more than 40 hours of paid sick leave in a year. Any unused accrued hours roll over to the next year, subject to the 40-hour maximum. Employers who offer their own paid leave policy that is comparable to the law's requirements are not required to provide additional paid sick time under the law.
  • More information on Connecticut's paid sick leave law
  • Some states have kinship laws that allow you to use your sick leave to care for a child. Connecticut Paid Sick Leave.

State Paid General Leave (for any reason)

  • Some states provide general paid leave. Connecticut does not currently have a general leave law.

State Bone Marrow Donation Leave

County & Local Leave

  • Some cities and counties have additional leave laws.

Workplace Leave Policies or Employment Contracts

  • Everyone’s situation is different. Check your employee handbook, your workplace policies, and/or your employment contract (if you have one) to see whether you are eligible to take paid or unpaid time off from work.

More Information

Estate Planning

Triage Health's free State-Specific Estate Planning Toolkit includes information about estate planning in general, and information about Connecticut estate planning documents, and the specific forms you need.

Finances

For information on financial assistance resources, you can visit our Financial Assistance Resources module. You can then pick from the different categories of financial assistance, to find organizations that may provide financial help to you. Think creatively. For example, if you cannot find anything to help with your medical bills, you may qualify for utility assistance and shift the money you had dedicated to utilities to your medical bills.

Health

Marketplace

  • For information about options for buying health insurance from private insurance companies, as well as whether you are eligible for marketplace financial assistance, visit the Access Health CT website or call 855.805.4325.

COBRA

  • COBRA provides a way for workers and their families to temporarily maintain their employer-provided health insurance during situations such as job loss or a reduction in hours worked. If you have questions about COBRA, visit the Employee Benefits Security Administration website.

State COBRA

  • For information about your state's COBRA law related to maintaining employer-provided health insurance during situations such as job loss or a reduction in hours worked, as well as information about how your state's law works with federal COBRA, visit the Connecticut Department of Insurance website, or call 860.297.3800, or 800.203.3447

Children's Health Insurance

  • Visit this site to learn about the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (HUSKY Health)(877.284.8759), which provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to be eligible for Medicaid.
  • Visit InsureKidsNow.gov to learn about free or low-cost health and dental insurance coverage options for kids and teens.

Other Insurance Options

  • To apply for an Independent Medical Review (an external appeal of a health plan denial) or to file a Consumer Complaint about your health plan, visit the Connecticut Office of the Healthcare Advocate website, or call 866.466.4446, or email healthcare.advocate@ct.gov.
  • If your health insurance company has denied coverage for your care, you can appeal that decision. The process depends on the type of health insurance that you have.
  • If you have private health insurance (e.g., through an employer or the Marketplace), you can also file an external appeal with an entity outside of your insurance company, to see if the insurance company is required to cover your care. The external review process is either handled by the state’s insurance agency or the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Visit our Chart of State Laws on Health Insurance Coverage & Navigation to see who runs the external appeals process in your state.

Early & Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, & Treatment (EPSDT)

  • The EPSDT benefit is a Medicaid benefit available to individuals under the age of 21.
  • States are required to provide comprehensive services needed to correct and ameliorate health conditions, including:
    • Early: Assess and identify problems early, starting at birth
    • Periodic: Check children’s health at periodic, age-appropriate intervals in comprehensive well-child visits, including health education
    • Screening: Provide physical, dental, mental, developmental, hearing, vision, and other screening or laboratory tests to detect potential problems
    • Diagnosis: Perform diagnostic tests and assessments to follow up when a risk is identified during screening and examinations
    • Treatment: Control, correct, or ameliorate any problems that are found
  • States are required to provide any additional health care services that are coverable under the federal Medicaid program and found to be medically necessary to treat, correct or reduce illnesses and conditions discovered regardless of whether the service is covered in a state's Medicaid plan. State Medicaid agencies are required to:
    • Inform all Medicaid-eligible individuals under age 21 that EPSDT services are available and of the need for age-appropriate immunizations;
    • Offer and provide, if requested and necessary, assistance with transportation to medical care.
    • Offer and provide, if requested and necessary, assistance with scheduling appointments for EPSDT visits and services.
  • Learn more about your state's program.

Coverage for Children

  • Visit this site to learn about the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (HUSKY Health)(877.284.8759), which provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to be eligible for Medicaid.
  • Visit InsureKidsNow.gov to learn about free or low-cost health and dental insurance coverage options for kids and teens.

In-Home Support Services (IHSS)

More Medicaid Resources

Women's Health & Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA)

Privacy

State Clinical Trials Law

  • Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. §§ 38a-483c, 38a-504a – 38a-504g, 38a-513b, 38a-542a – 38a-542g

    • Who must cover the costs? Individual and group health insurance plans
    • What must be covered? Routine patient care costs associated with cancer clinical trials. the insurer may require documentation of the likelihood of therapeutic benefit, informed consent, protocol information and test results, and/or a summary of the costs involved.
    • Requirements for Coverage: Insurers must pay for routine patient costs only for Phase III clinical trials, that involve “therapeutic intervention,” and are conducted at multiple institutions.
    • Qualifying Trials: The clinical trial protocol must be reviewed & approved by (1) NIH, (2) NCI cooperative group, (3) U.S. F.D.A. in the form of an investigational new drug application, (4) U.S. Dept. of Defense, or (5) U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
    (Last updated 8/2022) 

More Health Insurance Resources

Housing

Legal Assistance

Transportation

  • Local transit systems may provide free or discounted rates for low-income individuals and families. Some cities also offer bus passes, vouchers for taxi or ride-sharing services, or shuttle services for patients traveling to cancer treatments.
  • Dial 211 for assistance.
  • For more information on financial assistance resources, visit our Financial Assistance Resources module.