P or not P
Regarding health insurance benefits depending on the relationship to the employee, there's this form: "Eligibility Definitions and Required Documents." Basically, this is how you would get your child/spouse/domestic partner/other dependent to be on your health insurance (or how they would qualify, I suppose). I happen to be skimming the page casually, and - as luck may have it - was reading over the "Same Sex or Opposite Sex Domestic Partner" Eligibility Definition category.
It says the following...
"Employee and same (or opposite) sex domestic partner must:
- Share permanent residence [or these clauses]
- Are each other's sole same-sex (or opposite sex) domestic partner... [X years of history, plan on continuing, etc.]
- Are responsible for each other's common welfare
- Are of the same (or opposite) sex and... [not married or separated from someone else]
- ... [various other qualifications]
One of the conditions is that the domestic partner must be of the same or opposite sex as/of their partner. The way this document is written... ....hmm... it's almost as though the "Spouse" section used to just say "A member of the opposite sex to whom you are married," and the words "or same" were hurriedly added between "opposite" and "sex." As well, since "or opposite" is always added in parenthetically, it would imply that "same sex" is the default here. Maybe the first point isn't necessarily true and the spouse section always listed both, but the implication in the next section might be "if you've been living with someone for a while and intend to continue to do so, but aren't married, you're more likely a same-sex couple."
Of course, it's also possible that I'm reading too much into things and making assumptions/accusations that aren't true.
On a related note, you need a marriage certificate to qualify as a spouse, but NY State hasn't legalized same-sex marriage. It does, however, recognize such unions performed elsewhere (such as Vermont or Canada) - the only state to take such a position as far as I know.
It says the following...
"Employee and same (or opposite) sex domestic partner must:
- Share permanent residence [or these clauses]
- Are each other's sole same-sex (or opposite sex) domestic partner... [X years of history, plan on continuing, etc.]
- Are responsible for each other's common welfare
- Are of the same (or opposite) sex and... [not married or separated from someone else]
- ... [various other qualifications]
One of the conditions is that the domestic partner must be of the same or opposite sex as/of their partner. The way this document is written... ....hmm... it's almost as though the "Spouse" section used to just say "A member of the opposite sex to whom you are married," and the words "or same" were hurriedly added between "opposite" and "sex." As well, since "or opposite" is always added in parenthetically, it would imply that "same sex" is the default here. Maybe the first point isn't necessarily true and the spouse section always listed both, but the implication in the next section might be "if you've been living with someone for a while and intend to continue to do so, but aren't married, you're more likely a same-sex couple."
Of course, it's also possible that I'm reading too much into things and making assumptions/accusations that aren't true.
On a related note, you need a marriage certificate to qualify as a spouse, but NY State hasn't legalized same-sex marriage. It does, however, recognize such unions performed elsewhere (such as Vermont or Canada) - the only state to take such a position as far as I know.