Impact of Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Increase on Access to Benefits for Working Families

Connecticut Voices for Children released a new report that analyzes where increases in minimum wage may have unanticipated effects on some families’ receipt of benefits and hinder families with children from gaining economic mobility, despite increases in their income. The report entitled, “Impact of Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Increase on Access to Benefits for Working Families” outlines 10 policy solutions to mitigate the impacts of benefits cliffs—when a small wage increase leads to a significant reduction in public benefits—which worsen a family’s economic security, hinder upward mobility for low-income families, stifle economic growth by keeping individuals from participating in the workforce, and disproportionately impact people of color and women.