Lining Up for Taxpayer-Funded Benefits

Just remember… we were told that this would not cost anything more. 

If Dane County Clerk Bob Ohlsen’s hunch is correct, the first Monday in August is going to be a hectic day at his office.

That’s the day same-sex couples across the state, including an estimated 1,400 to 2,400 couples living in Dane County, will be able to take advantage of a historic piece of legislation signed Monday by Gov. Jim Doyle that for the first time recognizes domestic partnerships across the state. Along with the recognition come dozens of legal protections that previously were only granted to married couples, including the right to take family leave to care for a sick or dying partner, the ability to access a partner’s medical records and the right to inherit a partner’s property. In addition, Doyle approved granting health care benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees.

“My sense is we are going to be swamped,” Ohlsen says. “Even for those who already get benefits for their partner through their employer, there is a huge advantage to applying to the registry.”

Applying for the registry is the same as applying for a marriage license. Couples must provide proof of residence, certified copies of their birth certificates and their Social Security numbers. For those who have been previously married, a certified death certificate or divorce judgment is required. The fee is also the same as a marriage license, $115 per couple in Dane County.

To qualify for the new legal protections, two individuals must be at least 18 years old, members of the same sex, share a common residence, not be nearer of kin than second cousins and not be married or in another domestic partnership.

Jed and I would have fit those criteria once upon a time.