HARTFORD (AP) — The CEO of a Hartford organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities has been named to oversee Connecticut's fledgling paid family and medical leave authority.

Andrea Barton Reeves was chosen from a pool of 170 candidates for the job. The CEO of Harc Inc. since 2013, Barton Reeves also has worked in the insurance field.

"Andrea Barton Reeves brings extensive experience in all of the fields that are critical to the efficient administration of this important program,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said.

The new program is expected to begin in 2022. Under the initiative, which Barton Reeves has been charged with establishing and administering, partial wage replacement benefits would be funded through a maximum 0.5% payroll tax on nearly all Connecticut employees that's scheduled to begin in 2021. Eligible individuals would receive benefits while they take up to 12 weeks off from work to care for themselves during a serious illness, for a loved one or newborn over a 12-month period.

Eligible recipients would receive a sliding scale for benefits ranging from 56% of an employee's income for higher-paid workers to a maximum of 95% of what a minimum wage employee would earn.