Blog: LGBT

HOW THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT BENEFITS THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY During his two terms in office President Obama has supported the LGBTQ community in a myriad of ways including: the Patient Visitation Act, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the military, and supporting the repeal of DOMA.  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) click here which debuts January…

On Monday December 23, 2013, a federal judge in Ohio ruled that the state must recognize gay marriages by identifying the surviving spouse on a death certificate. The ruling was based on two lawsuits filed in July 2013 by two surviving gay spouses. Ohio does not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. When the U.S. Supreme…

Several major federal agencies have announced that they are now providing federal benefits to same-sex legally married couples. Most recently, the Internal Revenue Service announced that same-sex legally married couples would receive all federal tax rights and responsibilities as provided to heterosexual couples Click here for I.R.S. Release. The best news is that these rights…

FINALLY – I.R.S. RECOGNIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGES FOR TAX PURPOSES While there have been many positive developments for the LGBT community since the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Windsor on June 26, 2013, I think the most notable is the U.S. Treasury’s press release of August 29, 2013. There is no more uncertainty when it…

Deadline: File Today for Your LGBT Federal Employee Benefits As a result of the United States Supreme Court’s opinion in Windsor, the Office of Personnel Management announced on July 3, 2013 that same-sex spouses and children of married LGBT federal employees and annuitants will now be eligible for federal benefits (if married prior to June 26,…

Bob Dylan sang ‘the times they are a changing.’ Now is definitely one of those times. Since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Windsor (holding that the Defense of Marriage Act violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution and is unconstitutional) there has been change afoot to provide federal rights to…

Hot Off The Press – Scotus Rules – It’s Official At 10:15 a.m. today the United States Supreme Court published its opinion in U.S. v. Windsor ruling that “DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.” It is a historic day in our nation’s…

On Thursday June 6, 2013 I presented at The Pride Center in Wilton Manors for National Gay Pride Month.  I spoke about important legal developments for the LGBT community.  In case you were not able to attend here’s a recap: February 2013  The Department of Defense issues a memo stating that military departments will now…

This is a time in history of great significance as our Supreme Court is charged with deciding whether the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution. There is no doubt that DOMA treats LGBT individuals different from people whose marriages are recognized by law. More importantly, DOMA hurts the children…

Stephanie L. Schneider a Florida Board Certified Elder Law Attorney will speak at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) annual conference on May 4, 2013 about LGBT aging issues. Ms. Schneider will collaborate with Oregon attorney Cynthia Barrett about “Preparing to Serve LGBT Clients When DOMA is Repealed”. The goal of this presentation…