Fla. City Adds Domestic Partner Benefits
October 29, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - City officials
in Florida's capital city have extended the city's employee
benefit package to employees' domestic partners.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the policy
change provides employees' same- or opposite-sex domestic
partners the same benefits currently available to married
employees' spouses.
The city's change will allow city employees to include
their partners for health, dental, vision and other
benefits coverage.
The policy requires the couple to have been
together for a number of years to be eligible for
benefits. In an effort to avoid fraud, employees will
need to provide some proof for the benefits, such as
joint rental leases or a mortgage and joint-bank
accounts.
Parsons said the percentage of employees receiving
those benefits is between .5% and 2.5% or, in
Tallahassee's case, 12 to 57 people.
City Commissioners also agreed to include sexual
orientation and identity under the city's
Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policies and
Procedures, the newspaper reported.
Fred Schneyer
editors@plansponsor.com