SUBJECT:

Domestic Partner Benefits and Services

Last October I issued to department heads and administrative officers a
statement about campus-determined or "soft" domestic partner benefits and
services. In the context of the recent decision by the UC Regents to
authorize the extension of health care benefits to same-sex domestic
partners of UC employees, I am circulating my earlier statement to the
entire campus to make clear that UCSD already offers domestic partners
the same campus-determined services and benefits that it offers legal
spouses.

"In response to concerns expressed during the past two years by several
campus organizations, I want to confirm UCSD's commitment to support all
members of the community who work, live, study and teach on our campus,
regardless of sexual orientation, marital or family status. One concrete
way of meeting this commitment is to extend to domestic partners all
campus-determined benefits and services now offered to legal spouses of
UCSD employees and students.

"A review of UCSD practices has shown that many benefits and services
offered to employees' and students' spouses are already offered to
domestic partners as well. It would, however, be beneficial to formalize
a standard policy. For this reason, I am asking those campus units that
offer benefits or services to legal spouses to review their policies and
revise them where necessary to ensure that they offer the same benefits
or services to domestic partners (both same- and opposite-sex).
Documentation of domestic partner status should be required only in
situations where the same request would be made of legal spouses."

Later this month the Office of the President will issue a fact sheet about
eligibility and procedures for obtaining health benefits for long-term,
same-sex domestic partners or dependent relatives.

If you have questions regarding the implementation of this policy, please
contact Associate Chancellor Susan Kirkpatrick at extension 46864 or by
e-mail at skirkpatrick@ucsd.edu.

Robert C. Dynes Chancellor