OH: MEtro to Offer Health and Dental Benefits to Employees with Same-Sex Partners

May 29, 2014

Metro joins progressive employers in providing domestic partner benefits.

Metro CEO Terry Garcia Crews, Metro Ridership Development Manager Kim Lahman, Cincinnati City Council member Chris Seelbach, Metro Operator Renita Wilson, SORTA Bard Chair Jason Dunn, and Access Operator Tamika Raven-Wilson took part in Metro's announcement to provide same-sex benefits.

Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Macy’s, Fifth Third Bank, GE Aviation, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dinsmore, LPK, the University of Cincinnati, the city of Cincinnati – many of Greater Cincinnati’s major employers offer same-sex and domestic partner benefits.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, Metro will join these and other progressive local employers in offering health and dental benefits to employees in same-sex marriages and recognized domestic partner relationships.

The following categories of employees will qualify for this new benefits:

Same-sex partners with a valid marriage license from states that have legalized same-sex marriage
Same-sex partners who are registered by a government entity
Same-sex or different-sex partners with a sworn affidavit demonstrating financial interdependence for the past 12 months

Metro is the first transit system of its size in the state to offer domestic partner benefits.

According to Jason Dunn, chairman of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority that operates Metro, offering domestic partner benefits makes good business sense.

“Metro is committed to inclusion, and we are committed to attracting and retaining the best employees,” Dunn said. “In the changing workplace, it’s imperative that all employees and their families have access to equal benefits. Our goal is to be an employer of choice.”