HARRISBURG — Many state government employees and retirees in Pennsylvania will soon be able to extend health benefits to either gay or straight domestic partners.

The benefit takes effect July 1 through the private Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund that covers more than 140,000 active and retired state employees who have worked under the jurisdiction of the governor.

"I think the trustees were all in agreement that it was the right thing to do and the time to do it," said David Fillman, the trust fund chairman who also heads the AFSCME local that represents thousands of state employees.

Essentially, domestic partners and their dependent children will be treated the same as spouses of the covered employees and retirees. The benefits include medical, prescription drug, dental, vision and hearing coverage.

It is not clear how many of the covered employees have domestic partners, and it is not clear how much money the new benefit will cost the trust fund, Fillman said.

But, he said, the trustees were confident the fund could afford it since so many other states, cities and major corporations offer such a benefit.

The trustees actually voted Sept. 18 to approve the new benefit — but no fanfare or media coverage followed. Now, word is getting out because the trust fund is spreading the word to beneficiaries after getting forms, procedures and guidelines ready.

Trust fund staff began studying the cost in 2005 after two member labor unions requested it. Those unions, which represent social service workers and instructors in the Corrections Department, already had provisions extending sick and family leave benefits for domestic partners, Fillman said.

Rendell supported the move, his press secretary said.

"The more people that are covered by health insurance, the better, that's our general world view," said spokesman Chuck Ardo. "But in this particular case, it's just a matter of fairness. Gay employees work equally as hard, equally as long as any other state employee and deserve to be treated equally."

Partners must be at least 18 and have lived together for six months, while providing proof — such as a joint bank account or an assignment of power of attorney — that their lives are intertwined.

The cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia already allow the benefit, as do states such as California, New York and Illinois, and major companies in Pennsylvania, according to the trust fund.