Keith McMurdy was featured in the Human Resource
Executive article "Post-DOMA Confusion Begins to
Clear." While the full text can be found in the September 5,
2013, issue of Human Resource Executive, a synopsis is
noted below.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to repeal the Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA) left HR and benefits professionals in confusion
because only 13 states currently recognize same-sex marriages as
legal. However, a recent federal district court decision and new
U.S. Treasury Department guidelines are helping to reach
clarity.
In Philadelphia, the federal district court ruled in favor of a
surviving same-sex spouse in deciding who was entitled to the
deceased spouse's retirement plan benefits. This decision opens
the definition of spouse to include same-sex partners as long as
the state in which the couple resides legally recognizes the
marriage.
