Domestic Partner Benefits:

More and more organizations, including business, universities and municipalities, are being faced with requests from their employees to implement domestic partner benefits (including medical coverage). The questions that these requests raise cover the entire spectrum from the concrete to the philosophical. This article includes discussion of the following topics: should organizations have a non-discrimination policy inclusive of sexual orientation; how to find out much medical benefits for domestic partners will cost; where to find an insurer to cover domestic partners; whther these benefits should be offered to both heterosexual and homosexual couples; how to define a "domestic partner"; what laws and tax codes govern these benefits; and. how to communicate changes in benefit plans to employees. These, and many other topics, demand the attention of human resources professionals.