Connecticut made major changes to its workers’ compensation laws in 2025. These changes were passed after a Connecticut Supreme Court case—Gardner v. DMHAS—which expanded certain benefits for injured workers. The legislature, driven by concerns of employers, responded quickly and changed the law again.
If you get hurt at work in Connecticut, here’s what the new rules could mean for you.
1. If You Reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
MMI means your doctors don’t expect you to get significantly better, even with more treatment.
Under the new law:
If you can still work in some capacity after reaching MMI, the Workers’ Compensation Commissioner will convert your benefits to a Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) award, compensating you for the level of permanent impairment your doctor assigns to your injury.
This means:
You will not receive ongoing “temporary partial” wage-loss benefits after MMI within an Administrative Law Judge’s discretion, the way the Gardner case would have allowed.
Instead, you receive a PPD award, which is a set amount of weeks based on your permanent injury.
But:
If you are totally unable to work, you can still receive total disability (TTD) benefits even after MMI.
2. More Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits for Some Body Parts
For injuries on or after July 1, 2025, certain injury values increased:
Neck injuries (cervical spine) now pay 208 weeks (previously 117).
Two new body systems were added:
Esophagus – 180 weeks
Intestinal tract – 347 weeks
This can significantly increase settlement value for people with serious neck or digestive system injuries.
3. New 60 Weeks of Wage-Loss Benefits After PPD (with participation in Vocational Rehab)
There is now a new benefit for people who:
Cannot return to their old job, and
Are participating in a vocational retraining program (or have completed one).
If you qualify, you can receive up to 60 weeks of additional wage-loss benefits after your PPD award.
These benefits can help while you’re being retrained for different work.
4. Parents Can Now Receive Death Benefits
If a worker dies on the job and:
Has no spouse, and
Has no dependent children,
the worker’s parents can now receive death benefits for up to 312 weeks.
Previously, many parents received little or nothing. This is a major expansion.
5. Total Disability Benefits Are More Secure
The new law makes it clear:
If you are totally disabled—even after MMI—you can still receive total disability benefits as long as your total disability continues.
This helps workers with very serious injuries who cannot return to any work at all.
6. Retroactive Changes Could Affect Old or Pending Cases
The legislature made some of these changes retroactive all the way back to July 1, 1993.
This is unusual. It means:
Some workers with older injuries may have their benefits converted to PPD earlier than expected.
There may be legal challenges to this retroactive rule, because Connecticut normally follows the “date of injury” rule—which says your rights are based on the law that existed when you were hurt.
If your case is older or has complicated benefit issues, talk to an attorney. Your rights may be affected differently depending on timing.
Final Takeaway
The 2025 changes to Connecticut workers’ compensation law:
Limit some benefits that the Gardner case would have expanded,
Increase other benefits (especially for neck injuries and fatal claims),
Create new opportunities for vocational-rehab wage loss benefits, and
May lead to legal challenges for certain older injuries.
If you’ve been hurt at work, the most important thing to know is:
Your rights depend heavily on your date of injury, your medical status, and whether you can return to your old job.
A workers’ comp attorney can help you understand exactly what these new laws mean for your case.