Guest Article

(From the August 1, 2011 issue of Deloitte's Washington Bulletin, a periodic update of legal and regulatory developments relating to Employee Benefits.)

BLS Now Reports on Employer-Provided Benefits for Unmarried Domestic Partners

For the first time the National Compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes data on employer-provided benefits for unmarried domestic partners. Two new Tables—on defined benefit retirement survivor benefits, and on healthcare benefits—provide data for unmarried domestic partners as of March 2011.

Among the highlights, the BLS News Release reports that 14 percent of all civilian workers have access to a defined benefit plan that provides survivor benefits for unmarried domestic partners. In private industry the rate is 7 percent, while in state and local government approximately 50 percent of workers have access to such a benefit. A Fact Sheet explains that in analyzing the rates it is important to take into account the fact that employees in private industry have less access to a defined benefit plan than do employees in state and local government (i.e., in 2010, the rates were 20 percent to 84 percent, respectively). The geographic area where defined benefit retirement survivor benefits for unmarried domestic partners is most common is the Pacific (i.e., California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska), where over 20 percent of all civilian workers have access to such benefits, consisting of 12 percent of workers in private industry, and over 80 percent of state and local government workers.

The BLS reports that health care benefits for unmarried domestic partners are available to 30 percent of all civilian workers for same-sex partner coverage (and are available to 25 percent for opposite sex partner coverage). In private industry the rate is 29 percent for same-sex partner coverage (and 25 percent for opposite-sex partner coverage), while in state and local government the rate is 33 percent for same-sex partner coverage (and 28 percent for opposite-sex partner coverage). Again, the geographic area where health coverage for unmarried domestic partners is most common is the Pacific, where over 50 percent of all civilian workers have access to such benefits, including over 80 percent of state and local government workers.

The information in this Washington Bulletin is general in nature only and not intended to provide advice or guidance for specific situations. If you have any questions or need additional information about articles appearing in this or previous versions of Washington Bulletin, please contact: Robert Davis 202.879.3094, Elizabeth Drigotas 202.879.4985, Mary Jones 202.378.5067, Stephen LaGarde 202.879-5608, Erinn Madden 202.220.2692, Bart Massey 202.220.2104, Tom Pevarnik 202.879.5314, Sandra Rolitsky 202.220.2025, Deborah Walker 202.879.4955. Copyright 2011, Deloitte.