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Domestic Partnership Beneficiaries: A Monterey Couple's Experiences
An hour away by car but five years ahead in offering domestic partnership benefits, Silicon Valley companies have lead the way in bringing equal benefits to the domestic partners of their employees in same-sex relationships.
Among those to benefit from this recent shift in corporate thinking are Susan Perrin and her partner of 14 years, Beth Cunningham, who have been Monterey residents for over a decade. Susan's job at Novell entitles her to cover Beth under her insurance policy, the same coverage that has been enjoyed by married heterosexual couples for decades.
When Beth decided to stop working to study law full-time, she and Susan knew that they would have to depend on DPB to cover Beth's medical needs. It also meant for Susan that she would have to come out as a lesbian at work.
"When Susan's company first offered DPB, we had to discuss it," said Beth. "I asked her 'Do you really want to formally add to your personal record that you're a lesbian; do you want to be out at work-not just to the guy in the cubicle next to you but to someone in another state at corporate headquarters?' Susan's reply was that the economic benefit was so great, of course she would come out work if I could have my teeth fixed," said Beth, laughing.
For others, however, having health insurance can be a matter of life or death. For those with a life-threatening disease, the level of treatment afforded to those with medical insurance has been shown to extend patients' lives and improve their chances for survival. "The whole AIDS issue aside," said Beth, "not having health insurance in this country can often be a death sentence. I haven't had any life-threatening diseases, but the reality of the situation is something we discussed."
DPB By the Bay
|DPB is still new to Monterey County and was almost unheard of three years
ago, as Beth's first visit to her dentist's office demonstrated. "Your
first time to a dentist, they give you a form to fill out. On the form they
want to know your insurance." Beth said that there isn't a line for
DPB on medical forms, only "dependent" or "spouse".
"I asked myself," said Beth, "am I a 'spouse.' Wellyeah."
And she continued filling out the form.
After the receptionist began reviewing the form, she called Beth back because of an apparent error. The receptionist politely said that Beth must have misread the form, and Beth replied that, no, she was a domestic partner. A few days later, she received a call from the same receptionist telling her that the insurance company had rejected the form because the dependent listed on the application was older than the insured party, and Beth explained her relationship with Susan once again. So began Beth's three years of coming out to medical receptionists in town.
Signing On the Dotted Line
Novell required Beth and Susan to complete a notarized statement saying
that they had been in a monogamous relationship for more than a year, that
they lived together, and that they were responsible for each other's debts.
Under the agreement, Beth can continue her coverage for six months if her
relationship with Susan should end, during which time Susan cannot add another
domestic partner to her policy.
The bad news, especially at this time of year, is that Beth's health coverage is not tax-deductible as are Susan's. Since each company handles DBP differently, those interested in enrolling should contact their human resources department about their company's policy.
The necessity of stating her sexual orientation to strangers has made coming out a snap for Beth. "I consider myself a pretty private person. Prior to getting benefits, I don't know if I would be talking to you right now or letting you use my name."
Susan agrees: "It really made me feel that the company was behind me and that they supported me, that they were really committed to diversity. Of all of my experiences, domestic partnership benefits gave me the feeling that the company was going to support me in my life."
Companies in Monterey County now offering domestic partnership benefits include CTB/McGraw-Hill, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, EDS, and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.
If you know of a local company offering domestic partnership benefits, send the information to The Paper at 787 Laine St. #5, Monterey, CA 93940. We will continue to list companies offering DPB.
Editor's Note: John Laird also notes that DP Benefits are not tax deductible. Santa Cruz County, at Laird's request, has added an additional amount to the paycheck to cover the cost of the taxes as well as the reimbursement. West Hollywood does this as well. Said Laird "The County gives $80 toward your partner's health insurance (which is what straight people get for their's in PERS), and then another $45 or so which nets back to the original amount with no tax loss. It will change whenever a Governor is elected that will let PERS Health cover domestic partners (the Board passed it, Wilson kept it from happening -- the Governor has PERS veto power)."
The Political Climate
Getting Domestic Partners Benefits At Your Workplace
by John Laird, Contributing Writer
If you've been wondering how to work for domestic partners benefits at your own job, here is a very basic primer. By definition, these benefits would give an employee's unmarried partner the same health, vision, and dental coverage as your co-workers get for their married partners. They are of tangible financial benefit to any gay man or lesbian in a committed relationship.
Step One: Research thoroughly the benefits system of your employer.
In presenting your own proposal, you will want to make sure it is reasonable given what your employer now provides to employees.
What benefits does your employer now offer to legally married employees? Are vision and dental care included, as well as health care? Are dependents covered in addition to the employee? What level of coverage is provided? How much does it cost the employer? Is there a "third party provider" that your employer uses for coverage - such as Blue Cross or a health maintenance organization (HMO)?
Step Two: Know the process by which your benefits are extended to you.
You will want this information to make sure that your proposal meets the timely and consistent with your employer's process. Are decisions on benefits at the sole discretion of the management? Is there a particular time of the year that salaries and benefits are changed? Is there union representation and benefits governed by a negotiated contract with management?
Step Three: Ascertain who else at your workplace might be interested in this issue.
You will want to build support for a proposal among those at your job who are supportive. Are there any other employees in the same situation as you? Have you heard of a human resources manager or a top official of your employer that has expressed any kind of interest in this issue? If represented by a union, are they advocating for domestic partners benefits and are your union representatives knowledgea
Step Four: Know if there are any major employers in your area that offer domestic partners benefits.
You will want this information to help convince your employee that this is doable and other local employers do it. Over 13% of employers nationally have signed on. In Northern California that includes Apple, IBM, Genetech, Microsoft, Borland, MCA, Bank of America and the San Francisco 49ers.
Step Five: Learn how other employers have offered domestic partners benefits.
When you submit a proposal, you will want to be able to suggest a process and you most likely can borrow one from existing programs.
Most public agencies offer domestic partners benefits by having their enrolling employee sign a confidential affidavit with about ten basic points, including: that you are mutually responsible economically for each other, that you are both over eighteen, that you are not related by blood, that you have not been in a similar relationship with someone for at least six months, and that you understand the consequences of fraud in signing the affidavit.
Step Six: Know your rights.
This should give you some comfort in raising the issue. The State of California has regulations that you cannot be fired from your job for being gay or lesbian. If you believe that raising this issue is, or will, jeopardize your job - and you can document a change in attitude due to your raising the issue - you are protected.
Step Seven: Know the arguments for domestic partners benefits, as you will want to present them when you present a proposal.
Basic arguments are: companies that do not offer domestic partners benefits are compensating their employees differently based on their employee's private legal status. That is not fair.
There is not a public relations price to be paid for offering domestic partners benefits, as the Southern Baptists are in the process of proving. State-wide polls show that a majority of Californians support domestic partner benefits.
Domestic partners benefits are good business. Any business that is not offering domestic partners benefits is not being competitive, and risks losing some of its best employees to other concerns.
Many myths about domestic partners benefits are just that. There is not a disproportionate cost in covering the partners of employees.
Step Eight: Develop a specific proposal - and plan for implementing that proposal - using everything you learned in the first seven steps.
At the time your employer might make a decision on benefits, you should present a specific proposal that organizes allies at your workplace and specifically proposes benefits consistent with the current plan. You should know how it will work and be ready to answer the employer's questions, making the arguments on why this is beneficial and not a ri
If you work for a public agency, the process will be different. The odds are you are represented by a union that negotiates regularly with elected officials that head the government unit. In that case you should follow most of these steps, but there are key variables. You should organize within your union to get this as part of the union proposal, you should get gay-friendly groups to make sure that candidates for office commit to this as they are running, and you should work to add benefits
The climate is favorable for domestic partners benefits. Sometimes it is a long process to get approved. You should get going right away. I'll help in any way I can.
John Laird, a former Mayor of Santa Cruz, was instrumental in obtaining domestic partners benefits for City, County, and transit system employees ten years ago. You may contact John Laird c/o The Paper.