Domestic partner benefits returned to City of Ann Arbor employees

Slightly more than one month after a federal judge struck down Michigan’s ban on domestic partner benefits, the city of Ann Arbor has officially restored them to its employees.

As of Thursday, health care benefits were granted back to “other qualified adults” — which include gay and lesbian partners of city workers. Ann Arbor City Council's labor committee began pursuing the issue in mid-July.

Domestic partner benefits had been offered to the city’s employees for years prior to the state ban, which took effect in 2011. When the ban was implemented, 12 people were covered by the plans.

Here are the stipulations for the city’s medical coverage for other qualified adults:

• An employee can only name one other adult as his or her “other qualified adult”
• The employee and the other qualified adult must have lived together for the past 18 months
• Neither the employee nor the other qualified adult is married to someone else
• The other qualified adult can’t inherit from the employee
• The employee and the other qualified adult either have durable power of attorney for health care for each other or for financial management

Employees have until Aug. 30 to apply for coverage.

The city of Ann Arbor follows Washtenaw County's swift move to restore domestic partner benefits to nine employees in early July.

Ann Arbor Public Schools reinstated health care benefits for domestic partners of employees at the end of June immediately after the judge issued an injunction on the ban, said Liz Margolis, district spokeswoman.

The city of Ypsilanti is working on a resolution to restore such benefits to its employees as well.

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.