Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies
(See 29 CFR ยง 825.110)
(a) An "eligible employee" is defined in section 31-51qq-1(f) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.
(b) The 12 months an employee shall have been employed by the employer need not be consecutive months. If an employee is maintained on the payroll for any part of a week, including any periods of paid or unpaid leave (sick, vacation) during which other benefits or compensation are provided by the employer (e.g., workers' compensation, group health plan benefits, etc.), the week counts as a week of employment. For purposes of determining whether intermittent/occasional/casual employment qualifies as "at least 12 months," 52 weeks is deemed to be equal to 12 months.
(c) Whether an employee has worked the minimum of 1000 hours of service is determined according to the principles established under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for determining compensable hours of work (see 29 CFR Part 785). The determining factor is the number of hours an employee has worked for the employer within the meaning of the FLSA. The determination is not limited by methods of recordkeeping, or by compensation agreements that do not accurately reflect all of the hours an employee has worked for or been in service to the employer. Any accurate accounting of actual hours worked under FLSA's principles may be used. In the event an employer does not maintain an accurate record of hours worked by an employee, including for employees who are exempt from FLSA's requirement that a record be kept of their hours worked (e.g., bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees as defined in sections 31-60-14, 31-60-15 and 31-60-16 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies), the employer has the burden of showing that the employee has not worked the requisite hours. In the event the employer is unable to meet this burden, the employee is deemed to have met this test. An employer shall be able to clearly demonstrate that such an employee did not work 1000 hours during the previous 12 months in order to claim that the employee is not "eligible" for FMLA leave.
(d) The determination of whether an employee has worked for the employer for at least 1000 hours in the past 12 months and has been employed by the employer for a total of at least 12 months shall be made as of the date leave commences. If an employee notifies the employer of need for FMLA leave before the employee meets these eligibility criteria, the employer shall either confirm the employee's eligibility based upon a projection that the employee shall be eligible on the date leave would commence or shall advise the employee when the eligibility requirement is met. If the employer confirms eligibility at the time the notice for leave is received, the employer may not subsequently challenge the employee's eligibility. In the latter case, if the employer does not advise the employee whether the employee is eligible as soon as practicable (i.e., two business days absent extenuating circumstances) after the date employee eligibility is determined, the employee shall have satisfied the notice requirements and the notice of leave is considered current and outstanding until the employer does advise.
(Adopted effective March 9, 1999)