Note: U-M benefits for same-sex domestic partners (SSDP) concluded at the end of 2007 to comply with the current Michigan Court of Appeals ruling on same-sex partner benefits. Accordingly, references to U-M recognized Same-Sex Domestic Partnerships in all University policies and documents (other than existing collective bargaining agreements) have been rendered invalid.
If you are a member of AFSCME, GEO, HOA, IUOE, MAP or MNA and you are eligible for benefits at the University of Michigan, you can cover your same-sex domestic partner through the end of the calendar year your collective bargaining agreement ends.
Registering a partnership is a change in status that would allow you to make changes to your benefits mid-year.
Important Deadline
You have 30 days from the date of your partnership registration to add your new dependent to your benefits coverage. There are two ways to make the change:
- To enroll online, call the HR/Payroll Service Center at 734-615-2000 locally, 5-2000 from the Ann Arbor campus, or 866-647-7657 toll free for off-campus long-distance calling to report your partnership registration. You will be asked to provide the event date. Once the Service Center representative has received all the necessary information and entered it into the system, you will receive an email with instructions for adding your new dependent to your benefits online using Self Service > Benefits. You cannot add a dependent online without first talking to a Service Center representative. You must make the change within 30 days.
OR
If you do not enroll online or submit your completed form within the 30-day deadline, you must wait until the next available Open Enrollment period to make changes to your benefits enrollments.
Depending on the eligible benefit plans you are enrolled in and your appointment status, benefits to which you may add your partner may include:
- Medical insurance
- Dental coverage
- Vision plan
- Legal plan
- Optional dependent life insurance coverage
- Flexible Spending Accounts*
* Due to IRS regulations, expenses of your domestic partner and/or your partner’s children can be submitted for reimbursement under a FSA only if they qualify as eligible tax dependents as defined under Code Section 152 (as modified in 2006.)
Ann Arbor City Ordinance
Regulations concerning registering a same-sex domestic partnership may vary between municipalities. In Ann Arbor, the City Council approved the Domestic Partnership Ordinance on November 4, 1991, and in doing so, announced the following purposes:
"Many persons today share a life as families in enduring and committed relationships apart from marriages. Some are lesbians, some are gay males, some are bisexual persons, and some are heterosexual persons. The City of Ann Arbor has an interest in strengthening and supporting all caring, committed and responsible family forms. The City has also long recognized the importance of cultural diversity and equal treatment and, toward that end, has adopted a human rights ordinance which protects its citizens from discrimination based on, among other things, marital status and sexual orientation."
Two Ways to Enter a Partnership
Both residents and non-residents are eligible to complete a Declaration of Domestic Partnership. This form must be notarized by a notary public and signed by two witnesses; the notary can serve as one of those witnesses. (Please note: The Ann Arbor Clerk's Office records the notarization date as the beginning date of the registered partnership. Newly eligible dependents must be added to your coverage within 30 days. Therefore, it is important to remember the 30-day "clock starts ticking" on the notarization date; not the date your Declaration of Domestic partnership is filed with the Clerk's Office. Other municipalities may have differing rules.)
The Declaration of Domestic Partnership can be registered or kept in private. To register the Declaration, the form must be filed with the Ann Arbor City Clerk. You can either hand deliver or mail the notarized document with the appropriate fee to the City Clerk's Office, 2nd Floor, 100 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The Declaration then becomes a public document available for others to see. For private registration, the Declaration is not registered with the City Clerk; all copies are retained by the partners. A Certificate of Domestic Partnership is not sent and no public record of the partnership would exist. The University recognizes both publicly registered and private same-sex Declaration of Domestic Partnerships entered into under the Ann Arbor City ordinance.
Obtaining Forms and Information
Forms and information may be obtained by download from the Same-Sex Domestic Partnership Forms page, or from:
City Clerk's Office
City of Ann Arbor
100 North Fifth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
(734) 994-2725
Taxation of Partner Coverage
Faculty and staff members who are considering applying for same sex domestic partner benefits should be aware of the potential tax consequences. Under federal tax law, group insurance and benefits provided to a same-sex domestic partner and his or her children generally will require taxation of the University contribution attributable to the partner and the partner’s children. The tax on the imputed income will be deducted from the faculty or staff member’s monthly or first and second biweekly paychecks of the month. For additional information an imputed income worksheet, see SSDP Taxes and Imputed Income.
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