Vernita Gray and Pat Ewert kiss after their 2011 civil union ceremony. After Illinois passed marriage equality, a judge decided that, because Gray is terminally ill, she and Ewert could marry before the law took effect.
The effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act keep filtering through the government, making marriage more equal, one step at a time. Monday, Carolyn Colvin, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration,
said in a statement that:
"I am pleased to announce that, effective today, Social Security is processing some widow’s and widower’s claims by surviving members of same-sex marriages and paying benefits where they are due. In addition, we are able to pay some one-time lump sum death benefit claims to surviving same-sex spouses. As I stated shortly after the Supreme Court decision on Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, our goal is to treat all Americans with dignity and respect."
Colvin said that people who think they may be eligible for these benefits should apply now, though the policies are not yet finalized.