One third of gay employees have access to partner benefits

Timothy Kincaid

July 27th, 2011

NYTimes

In the first comprehensive count of domestic partner benefits by a federal government agency, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that about one-third of all workers had access to health care benefits for same-sex partners.

Bureau officials added two questions about domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples to the National Compensation Survey, a sample of 17,000 businesses and local governments, as a response to growing public interest in the topic, said Philip Doyle, assistant commissioner at the agency. The results were made public on Tuesday.

This report is based on data from March 2011 and would not include recent changes made to couple recognition which were not enacted at that time: marriage in New York and civil unions in Illinois, Hawaii, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

Additionally, as companies recognize the same-sex spouse of a New York employee, many will be inspired at that time to adopt partner benefit programs for employees in states that do not have a vehicle for partner recognition. Otherwise, for example, Dunder Mifflin may find that the morale in its Scranton branch suffers.

TampaZeke

July 27th, 2011

Too bad that those benefits, unlike benefits to straight married couples, are taxable.

LaoBlue

February 4th, 2012

There may be access, but not at equal cost!! In fact, same sex couples are not given effective equal access to the same benefits as other couples – period. This is the smoke and mirrors of politics and the federal government. It’s not equal, until all is equal.

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