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Our New and Improved Same-Sex Couples Website

June 30, 2016 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: June 30, 2016

Same-sex-webpageSocial Security touches the lives of every member of the public. Our commitment is to treat all people with compassion and respect. This month, we joined the nation in celebrating LGBT Pride Month. The purpose of this commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. Every day we continue to make strides in our goal to fully engage with the LGBT community.

To improve the way we communicate with the LGBT community, we redesigned our website for same-sex couples. We reorganized and streamlined the menu, making it easy for you to find the information you’re looking for. We added new banner images more representative and inclusive of the LGBT community.

We updated the content of our site to describe how Social Security is there for LGBT families through life’s journey, securing today and tomorrow. Our agency is with you through every stage of your life from birth to marriage, as your family grows, to retirement and after by caring for your survivors. You can learn how Social Security is there to support you through difficult times and what to do if you or your spouse becomes disabled, and what benefits you may be entitled to.

We also added a new publication, What Same-Sex Couples Need to Know, to our website. This new publication explains how changes in the law affect Social Security benefits for same-sex couples. Your marital status is important for the retirement, survivor, and disability programs because you or your spouse could be entitled to benefits or a higher benefit amount based on the relationship to a worker. You can also learn what benefits are available for your family, children, and survivors, in the event of your death.

We encourage anyone who believes they may be eligible for benefits to apply now. Learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/same-sexcouples.

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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

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Comments

  1. John O.

    If something is “new” then it can’t be improved. You only can improve something that has already existed and is therefore not new. This site sure caters to that which is an aberration of the tiny minority. What is next? A celebration of those who eat earthworms?

    • K

      No , haven’t you heard , sex with animals, for those with such small closed minds anyway !

  2. Jack

    Earlier this site subjected everyone to the “glories” of Ramadan. Now this site is subjecting everyone to the perversions of the few. Same sex individuals are fine, but does the whole nation have to be subjected to the LGBT agenda. What is next on their agenda that the whole country has to bow down to?

    • K

      Then stop following it and reading it….

      • K

        This site isn’t forcing uou yo read it…..

      • Dash

        [132] gatorI suppose I should have ignored, but it is&;28#17nt like she is going to stalk me (if she was gonna do that, it would have been decades ago). We have mutual friends so that was how she linked in.She is now an ultra liberal and has some pagan form of religion on her site, so I need only hold my nose and defend Cheney or insult the Messiah to get her to go away, so I am not concerned.

  3. Bruce

    He said “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and Treat your brothers and sisters as you would have them treat you.
    I will love all of my brothers and sisters as I love myself.
    For your consideration I submit:
    http://www.witnessfortheworld.org/homont.html

  4. Elcho

    This is the way humanity is following…………. the path of the moral disaster.
    Seems like no many people’re realizing that what is wrong it will be always wrong.
    This stupid non-sense govt. is pushing humans to their limits, its always a price to pay for everything in this life.
    Hope you morons know that there’s no free tickets for living your senseless lives worth than the animals do.
    Have a good day……..

    • Pissed o.

      Stop mixing your dubious religious beliefs with tax law. If they shouldn’t receive benefits, they shouldn’t be taxed. Whose fault is it that they couldn’t get properly married until a year ago anyway? As long as you could benefit from their contributions without them receiving benefits, it was OK. Why didn’t you complain before that they were paying for benefits they could never receive?

    • K

      No of what you said made any sense, speak english..

  5. Tom

    There are legal requirements and protections that come from being married. It is a legal term and not just a religious one. Otherwise there is a danger that we could have many situations that are “married when it is convenient, not married when it’s not”. It would be mayhem and tie up courts (actually I already does). Many states have gotten rid of common-law marriage. If you want the protections of marriage then you need to be married. That is how the law generally looks on the situation. Domestic partnership is not always codified into law and there is a lot of room for that to be done, but it would have to be declared in all circumstances if it becomes a legal status you participate in.

    • Pissed o.

      But Gays and Lesbians couldn’t get legally married until a year ago. Whose fault is that? Most people don’t want a “married when convenient” status. If we had had marriage equality in the past, your argument would be valid.

  6. Gail

    HURRAY!! I’m glad to see this update, however, I do believe that Pat has a valid point. Long term partners, regardless of sexual preference deserve the same treatment. If applying for other government benefits, total household income must be used, whether married or not, so if income is counted, all parties should be equally counted and receive benefits as a couple. Let’s get this remedied, fast!

    • Elcho

      Try to get a brain transplant, the sooner you can…..

      • Pissed o.

        Regardless of your beliefs, these couples’ years of paying federal taxes and social security taxes should count for nothing? Maybe they should get a refund of all taxes paid? You OK with that? Or should their payments only go toward your retirement?

      • K

        The mental disorder lies in those who can’t or won’t accept someone different from the NORM, also called bigotry or racism….now thats just plain “stupid”, no other way to say it

      • Judith

        If you think about it, the whole socialist thing isn’t very appealing unless the worker is better off working for the state than in the private sector.reply from Robert: The worker is never better off working for the state, when the state doesn’t have the money to pay more employees. Socialism will never work because eventually, you will run out of other pe#&2epo8l17;s money.

    • John O.

      Generally speaking a couple’s combined income would end up lowering the assistance they could receive.

  7. jim F.

    This is sick!

    • Elcho

      Sir, its very sick, indeed.
      But the sickos of them all is at the WH.

      • Pissed o.

        Name calling is not a rational response.

        • BG

          If name calling is not a rational response, then why is that the FIRST response you provide in the previous post?! Being unaccepting of a life style that some consider perverted is NOT being a bigot. Being demeaning to and critical of someone for their beliefs IS!

      • Ken

        I agree. You are quite sick.

  8. Ginny

    I am disgusted with this government and it’s transgressions. Why are we celebrating what is truly a mental disorder?

    • Elcho

      To me its worse than a mental disorder.
      Marrying within the SAME sex is something that only perverse humans can only do.
      They have no morals whatsoever, I really don’t care what type of formal education they all have may in their lives.
      They are all worthless pieces of trash, to say the least.

      • Mike

        The mental disorder is your own. See a therapist, please.

    • Pissed o.

      LGBT is not a mental disorder. Being an out and proud bigot is.

      • Allan

        Unfortunately it seems these days the word bigot is the only word anyone knows. People are just flat out odious.

    • K

      The mental disorders lie with in those who can’t accept not everyone is like you.

  9. Pat

    Same sex domestic partners may be accepted, but heterosexual partners who aren’t married aren’t. This isn’t right. Some have been together for YEARS.

    • Pissed o.

      Why didn’t they take advantage of the options that were available to them? LGBTs had no such options over one year ago.

  10. Eugene M.

    Thank you for honoring same sex couples my partner and I have been together for 28 years and was married going on almost 3 years now we are both disabled I myself 80% and my partner as well we both receive disability is there any more we need to do or can apply for thank you for your time and excepting domestic parrtners. AMEN

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