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Local News
Salt Lake Domestic Partner Benefits Sign Up Begins, Awaits Court Ruling
This month Salt Lake City employees with domestic partners may start signing up for the city’s health benefits programs, despite an impending court case questioning the legality of such benefits.
The city’s Human Resources Department issued an e-mail to employees on Nov. 1 telling them they had 30 days to enroll their domestic partners and children for “medical, dental, life, [accidental death and disability], and long term care coverage” benefits. Currently, the enrollment is contingent pending a Third District Court judge’s ruling on whether or not a state law banning gay marriage will prevent the benefits from being issued. The city’s insurance provider, Public Employees Health Program (PEHP) brought the case to court Sept. 27, six days after Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson’s executive order granting employees’ domestic partners—gay and straight—access to health care benefits.
Department employees said they wanted to be prepared for a ruling in favor of the benefits, and will hold but not process the forms “until the Third District Court rules that such benefits can be provided by the city.”
“We wanted to go forward and be ready to go if this works out,” said Brenda Hancock, director of Human Resources.
The e-mail also informed employees that domestic partners can currently sign up for a list of other benefits. The City’s contracts with Hyatt Legal, Comprehensive Psychological Services and MetLife Group Home & Auto have been amended to let domestic partners buy into legal and psychological services, as well as discounted home and auto insurance.
Based on estimates from other cities with similar domestic partner benefits programs, Hancock said the city anticipates that about 30, or 1% of its employees will turn in forms.
“We don’t anticipate a lot of people signing up,” she said.
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