Topeka’s new domestic partner registry was a significant victory for equal treatment of the city’s lesbian gay bisexual and transgender community and its supporters, but the fight isn’t over.

The domestic partner registry will allow same- and opposite-sex couples to verify their relationship, but employers still have to approve covering this new subset of dependents. Already, some employers in town say that isn’t likely anytime soon.

"We do not offer benefits to unmarried partners," said Nancy Burkhardt, director of marketing for Stormont-Vail HealthCare. "We have no plans to make changes to this policy at this time."

Same goes for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, said spokeswoman Mary Beth Chambers.

"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas does not currently extend health insurance coverage to the domestic partners — same-sex or opposite-sex — of our employees, and we have no immediate plans to change our approach," she said.

In fact, employers of 50 or fewer won’t even have that option, Chambers said.

For small businesses, state law dictates eligibility for dependent coverage, she said. In Kansas, coverage only applies to married spouses, she said.

"Therefore, the registry would not have much impact on the health insurance plans that small businesses currently offer to their employees," Chambers said.

Large businesses, those with 50 employees or more, will have to determine for themselves whether they wish to extend benefits to domestic partners.

That means the governing bodies of public employers — the Topeka City Council, Shawnee County Commission, school district boards and others — still have decisions ahead of them.

Toward that end, the LGBT community still has work to do, said Stephanie Mott, board member of Equality Kansas of Topeka.

"We will definitely be doing some outreach to help people to understand they have the possibility of offering some benefits to same-sex couples," she said.

The ordinance approved by the Topeka City Council on Tuesday requires the city to put a good faith effort toward providing coverage. The city on May 20 closed its bidding period for a new health insurance contract, and this time asked the providers to indicate whether they provide benefits to domestic partners. Ultimately, the city council will decide whether to add in the benefits or not, said Suzie Gilbert, city communications and marketing director.

"Our current insurance allows dependent coverage for spouses of city employees and their children," she said. "This would require a modified agreement with an insurer that would take effect in the new year."

Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437 can offer same-sex benefits with a quick change to its health insurance policy, said superintendent Brenda Dietrich. It hasn’t, because in the 13 years she has been with the district, the issue never has come up.

"The board would make that decision based on the recommendation of the Health Benefits Committee," she said.

With how recent the registry was passed, leaders at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority say they aren’t sure how the change will affect their organization.

"I’m not sure what the next step is from here," said MTAA president Eric Johnson. "I will have to check with the board for direction."

As far as private employers go, many large corporations already include domestic partners as dependents.

More than 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner health insurance benefits to their employees, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Locally, that includes Mars Inc., Colgate, PepsiCo, Target Corp. and U.S. Foods, according to a searchable database.

Some, such as Target, don’t need the registry to extend benefits to domestic partners. It accepts an affidavit of the relationship submitted with either proof of joint ownership or a federal tax return to extend benefits, spokeswoman Molly Snyder said.

Individual employers determine what they require for proof of a relationship, Chambers said. Typically, that includes a marriage certificate from another state, a listing on a domestic partner registry or an affidavit.

"A domestic partner registry could help those large employers wishing to extend coverage with their verification process, as the registry would show that the couple took an affirmative action to have their relationship recognized," she said.

However, registering a domestic partnership isn’t considered a qualifying event that would allow special enrollment, Chambers said, so couples will need to wait for benefits until the next open enrollment period.