Pennsylvania to provide domestic partner benefits to state employees
May 18, 2009
Good news from Pennsylvania, as the state is set to provide domestic partner benefits for state employees. Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and hearing-aid benefits will be available to the same-sex and different-sex partners of state employees, effective July 1, 2009. The Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund (PEBTF) voted unanimously to provide these benefits, and the registration process was opened up on May 1. As Gov. Ed Rendell's press secretary aptly put it, these benefits are "long overdue". Pennsylvania will join 16 states and the District of Columbia in providing domestic partner benefits to state employees. View HRC's map of policies around the country [pdf]. This is an important step toward making sure that everyone in Pennsylvania receive equal pay for equal work. As the chair of PEBTF's board said "it's just the right thing to do".
