Which domestic partnerships qualify for PEBB coverage?

Partners who formally declare that they meet all of these PEBB criteria:

·        They have a close personal relationship in lieu of a lawful marriage.

·        They are not married to anyone.

·        They are each other’s sole domestic partner and are responsible for each other’s common welfare.

·        They are not related by blood as close as would bar marriage.

·        They are barred from a lawful marriage. (See "Related Item" below:  "Who is barred from lawful marriage in WA.") This may include partners who are the same birth-sex, or one or both partners are transgender and have transitioned to a sex that is the same as their partner. This also includes partners if one or both partners are transgender, regardless of their legal sex.

OR

·        Partners are same-sex and registered with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office. (Source: 2007 legislation, Senate Substitute Bill 5336, which became law.)

NOTE:  Other employers may provide domestic partner benefits using different criteria. For example, a private employer may provide benefits to all of their employees’ opposite-sex domestic partners. If a PEBB subscriber wishes to waive or defer PEBB health coverage to enroll as a dependent under a domestic partner’s employer-sponsored health coverage, the employer’s criteria for a domestic partnership is irrelevant for waiving or deferring coverage under PEBB rules (182-12-128 WAC and 182-12-205 WAC). The employer’s partnership criteria do not have to match either PEBB’s or the Secretary of State’s. 

        Domestic Partners:  Common Issues & Questions