Are civil unions recognized in Social Security and Medicare benefits?
In Washington, civil unions are not recognized in Social Security or Medicare benefits. Although Washington has civil union laws that grant many of the same rights as marriage, they are not recognized as marriage by the federal government, which makes them ineligible for Social Security and Medicare benefits. This means that couples in civil unions do not have access to the same Social Security and Medicare rights and benefits that married couples have. Partners in a civil union, for example, cannot collect survivor benefits if one partner dies, whereas married couples do. The laws and regulations regarding federal benefits are still evolving as courts consider different cases. Unfortunately, though, it is unlikely that civil unions in Washington will be recognized in Social Security or Medicare benefits in the near future. In order for civil unions to be eligible for these types of benefits, the federal government must first recognize the legality of civil unions. Until that happens, couples in civil unions in Washington will not be able to receive Social Security or Medicare benefits based on their relationship.
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