OPM Broadens Long-Term Care Benefits

The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday released final regulations that broaden the definition of "family member" for purposes of determining long-term care benefits. The final rules, published in the Federal Register, modify the definition of relatives qualified to participate in the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program to include the same-sex domestic partners of federal employees and retirees. The final rule is the same as a September 2009 draft version.

The move follows a June 2009 presidential memorandum that asked OPM to extend long-term care benefits to same-sex partners of gay and lesbian employees and ordered agencies to conduct internal reviews to identify other benefits that they could extend as well. OPM has said extending long-term care benefits to same-sex partners is a positive first step in making the government more competitive with the private sector, including many top technology companies.

The final rule takes effect on July 1.