by the Associated Press:
In breaking news, the Philadelphia Gay News reports that on July 1, Pennsylvania will become the 16th state to offer state employees domestic-partner benefits. This includes all current and retired employees (139,000) of the commonwealth.
“The Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund, a non-governmental agency that oversees the state benefits programs, will offer medical, prescription drug, dental, vision and hearing-aid benefits to the same- and opposite-sex domestic partners of all PEBTF-eligible employees, which amounts to about 81,000 individuals.
The approximately 60,000 retired state employees eligible for the Retired Employees Health Program will also be able to extend their benefits to domestic partners.”
The state had already offered employees life-insurance and long-term care options for domestic partners, but they were not eligible for medical benefits.
Philadelphia Gay News Publisher Mark Segal said, “This is the greatest step toward equal rights for the LGBT community in Pennsylvania since Gov. Shapp outlawed discrimination in state employment in 1975.”
Check out the full story here.
1 comment:
HOOORAY and about time!
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