The Office of Personnel and Management made some changes to its policies regarding leave for federal workers attending to a sick or deceased relative, adding same-sex domestic partners to the list, the Washington Post reports:
Unlike recent changes to federal personnel policy that apply only to same-sex partners, the changes also apply to opposite-sex domestic partners. The policy change — published in Monday's Federal Register — is part of reforms ordered last year by President Obama when he extended fringe benefits to the same-sex partners of gay federal workers. Government lawyers concluded that opposite-sex partners did not need to be included in those changes because heterosexual couples may obtain such benefits through marriage.
The change announced Monday essentially adds opposite-sex and same-sex partners, stepparents, stepchildren, grandparents and grandchildren to the list of relationships that permit a federal worker to take leave. The changes do not apply to the Family and Medical Leave Act, a law that only Congress can change.
OPM added stepparents, stepchildren, grandparents and grandchildren at the request of agencies and workers concerned that the personnel policy did not explicitly list them. Monday's notice in the Federal Register also reminded workers that they make take leave for sick or dying relatives who are not explicitly listed in the notice.
The changes take effect July 14.
