The Proof Is In The Award free essay sample

The day started out like any other day last year. It was the end of October and we had finished soccer practice, and were to have a team meeting. After talking about our next game, and what to do to win it, coach had another announcement. The voting on All-League was in. There had been four girls chosen from our team. My name was the first one to be read. I was overcome with excitement and tried to hold back my emotions, but a large smile made its way across my face. I was so excited I didnt even hear the other names. I was so proud; I had finally proven that I was a good soccer player. The joy I received was that people (other than my parents) believed I was good enough for this award. I was finally awakened to reality when I heard my name mentioned again. We will write a custom essay sample on The Proof Is In The Award or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This time I almost felt like crying because I had achieved something that only happened in dreams: I was an All-State player. I, of all people, was chosen by all the girls soccer coaches as good enough to be ranked with the best players in Connecti-cut. I could hardly hold back my emotions. A bigger smile was now shining on my face. Through the day I waited to wake up from this wonderful dream! I was so glad I didnt have to. My dream had finally become a reality. If that wasnt enough, a dinner for the All-State players and their families was held. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I wore a brown jumper, with a long-sleeve off-white shirt and off-white tights. My parents, sister, grandmother and I drove to the Aqua Turf (a very nice restaurant), where the dinner was held. We met my aunt and cousin, whom we had invited. I was also proud to have the Wesleyan Varsity Soccer coach sitting at my table. As people arrived, I recognized more faces from newspaper articles. I still couldnt believe that I had been invited too. After the dinner, each class was called up to receive their awards. Soon enough class M was called and we were all lined up in alphabetical order, ready to receive our certificates and medals. As each name was read, I could feel my pulse quicken. Soon I would have my moment of fame, when everyones eyes would look at me. Leanne Duncan, Mercy rang in my ears. As I walked up the steps onto the stage, it seemed to take forever to reach the middle. Once there, I shook hands with all the council members, was given my certificate, and a medal was hung around my neck a medal I had been waiting for my whole life, with All-State 1995 on it. As I walked down the steps, I could hear the clapping. I was proud all these people were clapping for me, acknowledging my accomplishment. When every girl in class M had received their medals, we had our picture taken. I never had a bigg er smile on my face than I did that day.

The Renaissance fair Essay Example For Students

The Renaissance fair Essay From the fall of the Holy Roman Empire to there was a dark age in Europe where all technology and thinking stopped. Europe was a battleground for feudal lords and their knights trying to control the surrounding territories. The dark ages started to end when Pope Urban the 2nd called for the crusades of the holy lands and the city of Jerusalem. The renaissance began in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, and religion. The renaissance was a time of the great scientist and artist Leonardo ad Vinci. The word renaissance translates from French to English into rebirth, that is Just what Europe did at this time they went from being ignorant and dimwitted to inventing some of the worlds greatest inventions. Examples of these great inventions were the Ornerier flying machine, the armored car, the giant crossbow and the 8 barreled machine gun and these were Just from Leonardo ad Vinci, unfortunately these were Just prototypes and were never mass produced. The renaissance began in Italy, and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, and elision. The renaissance was a time of the great scientist and artist Leonardo ad Vinci. Personally I think the greatest feat of this time was the printing press created my Johannes Gutenberg. Before the invention of the printing press to make a book it required having to hand write the words for hours. When this was going on reading was more for the higher class but with the printing press books could be mass produced and this caused that more people learned to read and knowledge spread like wild fire, it also spread Christianity because now there would be more copies of The Holy Bible. The Renaissance marks the period of European history at the close of the middle ages and the rise of the Modern world. It was a time where art was flourishing. It seemed like everyone was an artist and architecture, Fillips Brucellosis was foremost in studying the remains of ancient classical buildings, and with rediscovered knowledge from the 1st-century writer Vitreous and the flourishing discipline of mathematics, formulated the Renaissance style which emulated and improved on classical forms. Brutishnesss major feat of engineering was the building of the dome of Florence Cathedral. The first building to monastery this is claimed to be the church of SST. Andrew built by Alberta in Mantra. The outstanding architectural work of the High Renaissance was the rebuilding of SST. Pewters Basilica, combining the skills of Aberrant, Michelangelo, Raphael, Seasonal and Modern. The new ideals of humanism, although more secular in some aspects, developed against a Christian backdrop, especially in the Northern Renaissance. Much, if not most, of the new art was commissioned by or in education to the Church. However, the Renaissance had a profound effect on contemporary theology, particularly in the way people perceived the relationship teen man and God. Many of the periods foremost theologians were followers of the humanist method, including Erasmus, Swing, Thomas More, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. The 15th century, the Renaissance spread with great speed from its birthplace in Florence, first to the rest of Italy, and soon to the rest of Europe. The invention of the printing press by German printer Johannes Gutenberg allowed the rapid transmission of these new ideas. As it spread, its ideas diversified and changed, being adapted to local culture. In the 20th century, scholars began to break the Renaissance into regional and national movements.

Wuthering Heights Essays (1009 words) - British Films,

Wuthering Heights WUTHERING HEIGHTS MAIN CHARACTERS Catherine Earnshaw ~ She is the daughter of Mr. Earnshaw and the sister of Hindley. She is also Heathcliffs foster sister. Heathcliff and Catherine are in love, but she marries Edgar Linton instead. When Cathy died, she wanted both Heathcliff and Edgar to suffer because Edgar never understood why she loved Heathcliff and Heathcliff because he never knew why she married Edgar. Catherine Linton ~ She is the daughter of the older Catherine and Edgar Linton. Her mother Catherine died shortly after she was born. She married Linton Heathcliff and became Catherine Heathcliff. Then after her husbands death she married Harenton and became Catherine Earnshaw. Mr. Earnshaw ~ He was a farmer and father of Hindley and Catherine. He is a kind- hearted man who takes Heathcliff in after he found him lying on the street, although his family protested he still took him in. Edgar Linton ~ He is Isabellas older brother, who marries Catherine Earnshaw and is the father of there daughter, Catherine Linton. He is a gentle bred, refined man, a patient husband and loving father. Ellen Dean ~ Ellen is one of the main narrators. She has been a servant for the Lintons and Earnshaws all her life. She knows all of them better than any one else. People that are close to her call her Nelly. Frances Earnshaw ~ She is Hindleys wife. She was a rather giddy woman. She displayed a great fear of death, which tells us why she died of tuberculosis. Harenton Earnshaw ~ Harenton is the son of Frances and Hindley Earnshaw. He marries young Catherine and grows up with his Uncle Heathcliff; his both mother and father die. He is ruff and uncultured having been kept from civilization from so long by Heathcliff. The Wuthering Heights belongs to Harenton even though Heathcliff runs the household. Hindley Earnshaw ~ Is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, he is also Catherines older brother. He becomes a violent alcoholic after his beloved wife Frances dies. Also Hindley never got along with Heathcliff because Hindley felt rejected from his fathers affection, because Heathcliff the favorite child of Mr. Earnshaw. Heathcliff ~ He is taken in by Mr. Earnshaw and raised along with Catherine and Hindley. Catherine was a moving force in his life, and he hated all those who stood between him and his beloved Cathy. However, he was of unknown descendants and was found in Liverpool starving on the streets. Heathcliff married Isabella, and they had a child named Linton together. However, he only married her for her money. Isabella Linton ~ She is Edgars younger sister, and marries Heathcliff and became Isabella Heathcliff. She and Heathcliff had a son together named Linton. Before she married Heathcliff she was a little foolish, but a pretty young girl. After she married him, she became cruel, just like Heathcliff. She also developed a great hate for him with all her heart. Joseph ~ He is a household servant at Wuthering Heights, and his religion is to be unforgiving to others. Dr. Kenneth ~ He is the local doctor who helps people who are sick or dying. His main concern is for his patients well being. Mr. and Mrs. Linton ~ Are Edgar and Isabellas parents. They spoil their children and also turn young Cathy into a young lady. They are very unsympathetic to Heathcliff when he is a child. Linton Heathcliff ~ He is the son of Heathcliff and Isabella. He had the worst qualities of both his parents. He was also a very weak and cruel person. Linton marries young Cathy, but dies soon after. So Heathcliff inherited all the property and money of the Linton family. Lockwood ~ He was one of the narrators of the novel. He was from London and was not particularly sympathetic. Zillah ~ A housekeeper at Wuthering Heights. She was an impatient, but capable woman. CONFLICT One conflict was between Mr. Heathcliff and Mr. Hindledy, they were enemies because when they were children Mr. Earnshaw (Hindleys father and Heathcliffs foster father) liked Heathcliff better. He was always Mr. Earnshaw's favorite and Hindley despised him for that. Hindley felt that Heathcliff just came in and took his fathers affection for him. So after their fathers death

Is life in prison without parole better than the death penalty free essay sample

This is it, this is the last time you will ever see daylight again. The dim light of the outside world seems to be overtaken by shadows. You squeeze your eyes shut, and then everything goes dark. That is the death penalty. What exactly is the death penalty? In the dictionary, it is defined as, the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offense. What the death penalty itself serves is retribution and revenge. Many believe that this is the right way to punish criminals in society, although there are many faults with capital punishment as well. Those faults consist of errors in the system, state costs, and the risks of executions of innocent people. Life in prison without parole is better than the death penalty where the death penalty is the foundation in injustice and it is immoral. People supporting the death penalty often argue that capital punishment is required not only for retributive reasons but rather to prevent the taking of innocent lives. We will write a custom essay sample on Is life in prison without parole better than the death penalty? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cass R. Sunstein, Professor of Law at Harvard University Law School, and Adrian Vermeule, another professor at Harvard Law School said â€Å"A leading national study suggests that each execution prevents some eighteen murders on average. † What my question is, how does taking away a criminals life prevent a life of an innocent being taken away? Killing a culprit does not prevent murders from happening, because there are still killers outside of jail. Death row does not prevent homicide happening in the outside world. The death penalty is no more effective in deterring others than life sentences. Life without parole also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, spending the rest of your life locked up, knowing you’ll never be free. Leading up to my next point, life without parole costs less than the death penalty. The death penalty is much more expensive than life without parole. It requires a long process for capital cases, which is needed in order to make sure that innocent individuals are not executed for crimes they did not commit. If the death penalty was replaced with a sentence of life without parole, which costs millions of dollars less, a lot of money could be saved or useful necessities. The millions of dollars could be spent on education, roads, programs, and more. Capital punishment is time consuming and expensive than the typical crime cases. Speaking of the innocent, my next point, an innocent person serving life can be released from death row. The system can make tragic mistakes. According to the editorial â€Å"There is No ‘Humane’ Execution†, since 1973, 139 people have been released from death row because they were proven innocent said by the Death Penalty Information Center. We’ll never know for sure how many people have been executed for crimes they didn’t commit. DNA is rarely available in homicides, often irrelevant and can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people. A number of innocent people have had to been put to death, which contradicts with the true meaning of justice. Leading to my final point, that capital punishment is immoral and is foundation of injustice. It is barbaric that people siding with capital punishment consider it moral. If anything, death penalty contradicts the true meaning of justice. In the article â€Å"Is Life in Prison without Parole a Better Option than Death Penalty? † John P. Conrad, former Chief of Center for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation at the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice said â€Å"I hold that the execution of the most contemptible murderer conflicts with the true functions of retributive justice- the repudiation of evil done and the prospective reconciliation of the criminal with the community he has wronged. Capital punishment is immoral and unfair and discriminatory in practice. No one deserves to die. In civilized society, we reject the principle of literally doing to criminals what they do to their victims. For instance, if the culprit’s crime was rape, his punishment cannot literally be rape. We shouldn’t punish the murderer with death. Capital punishment shows what an uncivilized and immoral society we are. The sentence of capital punishment is a barbaric action for punishment a criminal. Murder is unacceptable by society, yet people seem to approve killing criminals. Sentencing a criminal to death does not solve the questions and problems left behind, it just creates controversy. Capital punishment is wrongly practiced and immoral and the wrong way to punish criminals. Life in prison without parole is a much better option, whereas capital punishment is just a way to seek revenge on the individual who would rather have the darkness of a solitary than not to see the dark at all.

Using the Sample Essay for a Successful College Application

Using the Sample Essay for a Successful College ApplicationAny student looking for a good sample essay can find one of these by searching online. This is one of the most used essay formats for high school students, especially those seeking a high level of success in college. Writing this type of essay should be of concern to every high school student as they try to find ways to better their grades and better their chances for entrance into the college of their choice.Nowadays, since more individuals want to enter college, everyone wants to take advantage of all of the great opportunities that await them. So why not use an essay to your advantage? In fact, for any student who is looking for a good starting point, you can probably find a sample in the forms that are available to give your ideas some solid grounding. For students who already have experience in college, they can use this to their advantage to improve their grades and ensure that they get into a good college, regardless o f what they had been going through in high school.One of the things that these forms can help with is the format of the essay. The essay needs to be of a length that is acceptable to your college. It also needs to be quite straightforward and easy to understand. Another thing that you should do is make sure that you get all of the information that you need from your college. This means having the correct deadlines, the right format, the proper format, and the correct length.When writing your own original essay, it is important to avoid some of the mistakes that can be made by other high school students. One of the things that you can do is to avoid writing the article yourself. The best way to do this is to turn in a sample essay to your college. Make sure that you make your essay as accurate as possible and in the correct form so that it will be accepted.You should also include this form of sample essay when you apply for the Gilman Scholarship. When you are writing your essay, mak e sure that you add a few helpful tips that you have learned. Your college should then provide you with advice on how to properly format the essay so that it meets the requirements for acceptance.While there are many different examples of this format, make sure that you do not forget to include your own example essay in your application. It is important that you have one of your own so that your college will be aware of your unique style. Another thing that you should always remember is that your writing must be clear and concise.So, don't forget to get a great example of a sample that is designed for college applications. By having one of these you will be able to write a great article and make sure that your college makes the best decision in your application.

Motivational Strategies

Motivational Strategies Motivation theories were for a long time used in the field of psychology, especially in counseling and behavior change practices. A lot of achievements have been made in the use of motivational theories in the field of psychology.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Motivational Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the recent times, motivational theories have been heavily integrated into the field of business and general management. This is because organizations depend on their employees as the chief assets in the attainment of organizational goals (Mckenna, 2000). Therefore, motivation has become an indispensable tool in management due to the emerging challenges in management. These challenges include stiff competition and a volatile business environment (Beck, 2004). Motivation theories, as applied in business, are used during the motivation of employees in order to enhance employee delivery and thus leading to performance improvement. Also, in business, motivational theories have helped many organizations to focus the efforts of the workers on the real goals of the business as they perform their duties. There are many theories of motivation that are applied in different ways, and in different business organizations. However, they end up serving the same function, which is establishing a motivated workforce for improved performance and productivity (Gitman McDaniel, 2009). This paper discusses how motivation has been applied at the place of work and goes further to explain the impact that this has had on productivity. The discussion focuses on business organizations.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, the focus will be on the efforts of the organizations to motivate their employees and the outcomes of motivation in the organization. Motivational Strategies in Business Firms In business organizations, business ideas and strategies are often invented. These ideas have to be translated into reality that is depicted in business outcomes. This is done by the workforce of the organization. Inspiration encourages the hatching of new ideas, but for these ideas to be tamed and implemented, motivation of the workforce is needed. Motivation ensures that workers put significant effort in their duties so that the business ideas that result from inspiration become successful. Several motivational strategies can be applied in business operations so as to excite employees (Wiley, 1997). One of the strongest motivational strategies that have been found to work well for business organizations is the maintenance of open communication among employees, and between employees and management. Employees of an organization need to have a feeling that they count in the organization and that their ideas are taken into account by their managers. When this happens, the employ ees will feel more inclusive. They thus become more responsible as in the aspect of ownership is instilled through open communication (Gaspar, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Motivational Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A strategy that accompanies good communication and is embedded in communication is feedback. When it is well utilized, it bears more results than even financial rewards as these rewards are easily forgotten when the money has been used by the beneficiary. Frequent availing of positive feedback to employees accompanied by a team oriented environment makes a big difference in shaping the behavior of employees. It makes employees have the sense of value in the company, and thus the commitment level of employees to the company goes up. Positive feedback communication is molded as a culture in the organization. One company that has been utilizing this for quite some time is Tejas Securi ties Group Incorporated. This strategy has helped the company to maintain its staff for a long time and in expanding the activities of the company (Fielding, 2012). In a business, the most important motivational strategy is rewards. Workers will only be motivated by the success of the company when they are rewarded as a result of the success. Rewards can be in the form of material or in financial terms. The employees will always work hard to avoid failure as they know that if they fail, they will lose on rewards. This stems from having been rewarded previously. The employees increase their efforts when there are considerable rewards that are associated to success. A good example can be seen in the quarterly sales bonuses within a business. Salesmen show significant commitment to the sales function when there are high bonuses attached to a certain percentage of sales quotas (Mckenna, 2000).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employee empowerment also goes a step further in employee motivation. The management of most business organizations has acknowledged the importance for each employee of their companies to have a strong grasp of their tasks as concerning their job in the company. Empowerment is a motivational strategy that gives power and authority to employees to manage themselves in their line of duty while in business. Empowerment aims to cut down the level of employee supervision. The principle of empowerment resonates from a psychological perspective. This perspective asserts that when people feel free in attending to a certain task, they become composed and will thus accomplish the task in a furnished way. Close supervision of employees causes panic and fear of doing the work badly, and this result in poor work. However, empowerment is attained when employees are fully trained and have shown that they have mastered their work and that they can accomplish their roles without a lot of dependency. Employees who show an initiative, a strong desire to diversify their duties and become efficient in their jobs are left to perform their duties independently. Empowerment is accompanied by thorough training (Gaspar, 2006). Motivational Theories and Application in Business Organizations There are very many behavioral theories that have been used to motivate employees and other stakeholders of organizations. They include Maslow’s theory of motivation; goal setting and activation; affect perseverance; and consistency, cognitive evolution, control, and drive reactance theories among many other theories (Mckenna, 2000). There are many theories that explain how employees can be motivated. However, there is one motivational theory that has gained wide usage in the day to day life. This is the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. It is a theory that aims at shaping behavior. This theory has been applied in many business strategies by different business firms, especially in hum an resources management. The theory has had a wide use in the motivation of employees and customers when it is used in marketing functions of companies. The theory classifies the needs of people from the simplest to the most complex. According to the theory, the behaviors and actions of people are shaped by their needs. Therefore, the fulfilling of the needs of people leads to a positive change in behavior (Madura, 2007). This theory has meaningful considerations in organizational management. It gives insights into the best means through which organizations can motivate their employees, customers, vendors and clients. Business managers utilize the theory to devise creative ways of motivating workers. This is done by looking at how employee needs relates to job design, and the compensation scheme of the organization. Business leaders, in most cases, use the strength of the psychological needs of employees. This is done by providing wages that are enough to enable employees meet their basic needs. Safety and security needs are met through the provision of job security, a safe working environment, and retirement among other benefits. Social needs are met by way of developing team work in the organization which makes employees feel as being part of the broader organization. In the development of products, companies ensure that they develop products that address the requirements of customers. For instance, companies will strive to produce goods that are on fashion and or whose taste is valued by customers at that time. The fashion industry is commonly associated with this in which case psychological needs self esteem and actualization play a key role in determining buying patterns. Also, companies try to diversify their products so that they can meet different needs of consumers. The more needs the product can meet, the higher number of customers the company is likely to gain (Madura, 2007). The other theory that enjoys wide usage is the goal setting theory. The th eory of goal setting has had a wide usage in industrial, as well as organizational psychology. Goal setting is a management practice that gives the organization a pivoting point for its operations. Goal setting itself is a process that entails the establishment of the level of performance. This ensures that desired business outcomes can be obtained. When employees realize that their current performance is not leading to the achievement of the desired goals, they get motivated to step up their efforts or rather adopt a new strategy that will enable them attain the stipulated goals. In most cases, goal setting emanates from the discontentment with the prevailing performance levels in the organization (Mckenna, 2000). Through goal setting, structures are laid down to direct the behavior and action of employees towards performance improvement. Acceptance of goals is a big milestone in performance improvement. The management sets and explains these goals to the employees. The employees b ecome motivated in the performance of their duties once they accept these goals. The management makes the employees have self-efficacy and importance. Importance is offered by way of availing all the machinery that will be needed in attaining the goals. Inspirational mentorship and good leadership help in instilling the act of self-efficacy in employees. Progress in goal attainment is achieved through feedback (Gitman McDaniel, 2009). As discussed earlier, feedback motivates employees by way of making them feel that they are adding value to the organization. In the case of goal attainment, feedback will help employees to know the amount or level of progress that has been made as they continue implementing programs. When employees realize that they have made much progress, they will be motivated to increase their input so as to ensure that the goal has been accomplished. On the other hand, when little progress is reported, the employees will not want to show or display any act of fa ilure due to self-efficacy. Therefore, they will employ all possible tactics to ensure that they finish the task (Gitman McDaniel, 2009). An example of organizations that apply the theory of goal setting in all levels of operations is the General Electric Company. The company has marked the idea that underlies the goal setting theory. The company ensures that their goals are part of the organizational mission and vision. Their set goals touch on all the aspects organizational operations. The goals are regularly reviewed, and improvements are enhanced so as to ease goal attainment (Redmond, 2012). References Beck, R.C. (2004). Motivation: Theories and principles. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education. Fielding, R.L. (2012). Employee Motivation Strategies: Effective Solutions That Could Yield Maximum Profits. Web. Gaspar, J.E. (2006). Introduction to business. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. Gitman, L.J. McDaniel, C.D. (2009). The future of business: The essentials. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Madura, J. (2007). Introduction to business. Mason, OH: Thompson/South-Western. Mckenna, E. (2000). Business psychology and Organizational Behavior. A Student’s Handbook. Third Edition. Philadelphia: Psychology Press Ltd. Redmond, B.F. (2012). Goal Setting Theory. Retrieved from: https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/6.+Goal+Setting+Theory Wiley, C. (1997). What motivates employees according to over 40 years of motivation surveys, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 18 Iss: 3, pp.263 – 280.

Michigan DOMA Social Security Benefits for the Disabled

Michigan DOMA Social Security Benefits for the Disabled DOMA and Social Security Benefits for the Disabled On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court issued its controversial decision in United States v. Windsor, invalidating the definition of marriage formerly established by the DOMA laws.Consequently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is no longer prohibited from recognizing same-sex marriage for determining benefits.  The Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Carolyn W. Colvin, issued a statement on payments to same-sex couples on August 9, 2013, stating â€Å"I am pleased to announce that Social Security is now processing some retirement spouse claims for same-sex couples and paying benefits where they are due. The recent Supreme Court decision . . . helps to ensure that all Americans are treated fairly and equally, with the dignity and respect they deserve.[i]The Windsor decision is monumental for those who are now entitled to benefits that they were not eligible for previously filed on or after June 26, 2013, including auxiliary and spousal benefits. However, this change also a ffects how offsets are calculated for Supplemental Security Income (‘SSI’) payments. As a result of the Windsor decision, SSA is now able to approve some husband’s and wife’s claims in same-sex marriages.[ii] In order to be eligible, applicants must meet all factors of entitlement, and must have been married in a state that permits same-sex marriage as well as domiciled in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage, either at the time of application or while the claim is pending a final decision. The following chart outlines the states that recognize same-sex marriage from any other states and permitted in that state:[iii]StateDate Same-Sex Marriages from Any Other State Was RecognizedDate Same-Sex Marriages Were Permitted in the StateCaliforniaJune 17, 2008 – November 4, 2008June 26, 2013 – presentJune 17, 2008 – November 4, 2008June 26, 2013 – presentConnecticutNovember 12, 2008November 12, 2008DelawareJuly 1, 2013July 1, 2013I owaApril 30, 2009April 20, 2009MaineDecember 29, 2012December 29, 2012MarylandFebruary 23, 2010January 1, 2013MassachusettsMay 17, 2004May 17, 2004MinnesotaAugust 1, 2013August 1, 2013New HampshireJanuary 1, 2010January 1, 2010New YorkFebruary 1, 2008July 24, 2011Rhode IslandMay 14, 2012August 1, 2013VermontSeptember 1, 2009September 1, 2009WashingtonDecember 6, 2012December 6, 2012Washington, DCJuly 7, 2009March 9, 2010[i] Ms. Colvin further highlights â€Å"[w]e continue to work closely with the Department of Justice. In the coming weeks and months, we will develop and implement additional policy and processing instructions. We appreciate the public’s patience as we work through the legal issues to ensure that our policy is legally sound and clear. I encourage individuals who believe they may be eligible for  Social Security benefits  to apply now, to protect against the loss of any potential benefits. We will process claims as soon as additional instructions become fi nalized.†[ii] Active and retired governmental employees in same-sex marriages are now able to extend automatic coverage for health insurance and other benefit programs to their spouses and children Note that the Federal Employees Retirement system incorporates Social Security benefits, which encompasses nearly nine-tenths of federal employees, while the Civil Service Retirement System does not include Social Security, covering about four-fifths of the current retired population. Employees were given until August 26, 2013 to make specific changes, including from individual to family, to enrollment or they must wait until November when the annual benefits open enrollment begins.[iii]  See  POMS GN 00210 BASIC, https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/public/reference.nsf/links/08092013111040AM. Further, once the above criteria are satisfied, a claimant for spousal benefits must also meet the one-year duration of marriage requirement prior to the adjudication of the claim. The one-year duration of marriage requirement begins on the date the couple was married and the date of filing an application. Do not consider the date of the Windsor decision for purposes of determining entitlement.Blog Post Provided By:Disability Attorneys of Michigan 30500 Van Dyke Ave, Ste. 400 Warren, Michigan 48093