Financial Relief for Essential Workers Impacted by COVID

Essential workers who became ill and were unable to work, or who died after contracting COVID-19 may be eligible for financial relief through the new Connecticut Essential Worker COVID-19 Assistance Fund.

Any essential worker who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and lived in the state of Connecticut at any time between March 10, 2020 and July 20, 2021, is urged to apply for the relief program.

The application portal is open.

The fund will provide the following benefits to qualified essential workers:

• Lost Wages – Unpaid leave and lost wages if an employee was unable to work after contracting COVID-19 or due to symptoms later diagnosed as COVID-19.
• Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses – For medical services related to contracting COVID-19 that were not covered by insurance.
• Burial Expenses – Burial/funeral expenses of $3,000 for an eligible essential worker who died from COVID-19.

Workers can apply for both unpaid leave and out-of-pocket medical expenses. Families of deceased essential workers can apply for all three benefits.

The program was established to provide aid to essential workers affected by COVID-19 who worked tirelessly to keep critical services and businesses running during the pandemic. The Connecticut General Assembly authorized $34 million to create the fund, which will be administered by the Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller. Public Consulting Group will assist with claims processing and payments.

Click here to view a CDC list of essential worker job categories based on immunization priority. This list is only a guideline and may not contain every essential worker job type, so if you are an essential worker that has been affected by COVID-19 you may apply.

Essential workers can get more information, check eligibility and apply for the program through the program website: CTEssentialWorkerRelief.org

In solidarity,

Ed Hawthorne, President

Connecticut AFL-CIO