Greenland selectmen approve domestic partner coverage for employee health plan

The Greenland Board of Selectmen voted at a Nov. 12 work session to add domestic partner coverage to the town—mployees—enefit package through HealthTrust.

The change was prompted by a request from an employee and documented in packet materials that included a domestic partner affidavit. Staff said open enrollment runs from Nov. 11 through Dec. 2 (or Dec. 3) and that coverage would take effect once the town completes the HealthTrust sign-off and the employee enrolls.

"In your packet, you have the domestic partner affidavit and information for HealthTrust," a staff member said when introducing the item. After brief questions about whether domestic partnership had previously been offered, an unidentified board member moved to include domestic partnership insurance through HealthTrust; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

Board members emphasized the change will affect only a small number of employees. "This would only pertain to a few of the employees that have domestic partners. I think there's only one currently," a board member said during the discussion.

The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes of the vote; the item was approved by voice vote and recorded as "Motion carries." Staff said they will contact HealthTrust to finalize implementation and to confirm any administrative steps required for the stipend/plan paperwork.

What happens next: staff will complete the HealthTrust enrollment steps and incorporate the domestic partner affidavit into the benefit materials for the upcoming open-enrollment period. Any changes to the town budget related to plan costs will be reflected in the next budget cycle, according to town staff.