The Case for DP Benefits
Why Change Your Policy
Facts about DP Benefits
WI Employers with DP Benefits

The Case for DP Benefits

A Mainstream Business Practice

Domestic partner benefits are a common feature of employee compensation packages at companies in Wisconsin and across the United States. Thousands of companies nationwide recognize that offering these benefits gives them a competitive edge in recruiting the most qualified, talented workers. But offering domestic partner benefits is not just a good business decision, it’s the fair thing to do.

Who offers domestic partner benefits?

• Over 9,000 employers nationwide now offer equal benefits. See the Human Rights Campaign for a comprehensive list.

• Over 150 Wisconsin employers.

• 265 companies in the Fortune 500.

• Diverse Wisconsin companies from construction firms like Edward Kraemer (based in Plain), manufacturers like Procter & Gamble (Green Bay), major law firms like Foley & Lardner, and hi-tech companies like Epic Systems.

What are Domestic Partner Benefits?

The term “domestic partner” is used to define the relationships of long-term, same-sex couples who are currently barred from marrying. These couples share their lives in the same ways that married heterosexual couples do -- they share homes, support each other emotionally and financially, and raise children together. “Domestic partner” can also encompass long-term opposite sex couples who are not legally married.

Domestic partner benefits primarily comprise those benefits made available to the spouses of heterosexual employees, particularly health insurance coverage (though these benefits can include life insurance, bereavement or sick leave, etc.). This resource focuses on health insurance coverage for domestic partners.

The private sector has consistently led the way in acknowledging the reality of gay and lesbian family lives and other nontraditional families. Companies began offering domestic partner health insurance coverage in 1982. In 1992, Lotus Development Corp. (now a division of IBM), became the first publicly traded company to offer the benefits. Since that time, thousands more companies have extended equal benefits. And the number of these companies grows every month.

Increasingly government employers are catching up with the private sector because they too find that offering equal benefits helps them attract and retain talented employees. Thirteen states, including Illinois and Iowa, as well as over 230 municipal employers now offer the benefits.