CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia University now offers some benefits to employees' same-sex partners and their children, a move that the president of one statewide advocacy organization sees as a step forward.

Employees who are eligible for benefits can now include their partners in some "soft" benefits, according to Fairness West Virginia, a statewide gay and lesbian rights organization.

The benefits were approved earlier this month. They include WVU Child Learning Center discounts, employee wellness activities, certain privileges at WVU libraries and discounts at the Student Recreation Center on the Evansdale campus.

The Childcare Learning Center offers childcare to WVU students and employees. Families can enroll children who are between 6 weeks old and school age.

Also, the new benefits extend to the Faculty-Staff Assistance program, which offers counseling and other services to help deal with stress, relationship concerns, depression, grief, money issues, parenting concerns, alcohol abuse and other personal matters.         

Stephen Skinner, president of Fairness West Virginia, said WVU clearly recognizes that there is an issue of inequality where straight employees have received one set of benefits and gay employees received another. 

"They need to be recognized for moving forward," Skinner said.

A greater goal, he said, is providing health insurance benefits to same-sex partners and their children.

"For a family to move to Morgantown and have the partner or spouse not receive health care benefits while they're at home taking care of the kids, that's an enormous burden," Skinner said.

I will note that the state is always happy to receive the extra taxes from same-sex couples," he added.

Within the past decade, college and university administrators in the U.S. have noted that benefits for same-sex partners help recruit and retain quality faculty and employees, according to Bradley Milam, program director and administrator at Fairness WV.     

"It's about welcoming all families," Skinner said. "No one can afford to lag behind in the competitive environment that is today's college and university recruiting."

Margaret Phillips, vice president for human resources at WVU, said it's her understanding that it would take a change in legislation to allow health benefits for same-sex partners and "other qualified adults and children."

"This goes way beyond same-sex partners," Phillips said of the expanded benefits.

The policy also extends coverage to grandchildren who live with WVU employees, some employees' nieces and nephews and young adults who live together but are not married.

For instance, before the changes, an aunt or uncle could not take children who live with them to the Student Recreation Center, she said.

The dependents of a legal guardian, however, have already had the "soft benefits," Phillips said. Certain documentation is required to qualify for the benefits, and those who do will be issued employee dependents' identification cards.

Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.