Cranston firefighter's partner awarded widow's pension
1:13 PM Mon, Apr 06, 2009 | Permalink
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A Superior Court judge ruled last week that a woman who had been living with a Cranston firefighter for 35 years when he died is entitled to a widow's pension benefit. Constance Fravala was denied pension benefits when Wilbur Lee Philips, a retired firefighter, died in October 2004. But based the March 27 ruling, she will receive $119,308 to cover the period since Philips' death and will now receive a monthly benefit, said her lawyer, Anthony S. Buglio. 
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What ifthe partner's name had been Kenneth instead of Constance? Would HE have been entitled to the pension?
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Don't know if "common law wife" statutes would apply to Kenneth...., but at least some common sense was applied in this case. Finally.
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If the firefighter had a same-sex partner, the partner would not receive the pension. This is RI, after all. Home of bigots.
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Home of "common sense" is more like it, and thank God for that. If you don't like it, you could always move to Massachusetts, Connecticut or New Hampshire.
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What in the hell has same sex trysts got to do with common law marriages of different gender people, that is within RI law by the way in this state, got to do with same sex couples receiving retirement benefits? It is not legal nor is same sex marriage that would fall into this category. Stop whining and continue to lobby till same sex marriage become law; if ever.
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JK? So if two men/women live together for 35 years and one passes, the other isn't entitled? That is "common sense" in your book? I hope no one in YOUR family ever has to face this.
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I feel that a person is a widow when her husband dies before her and vice versa for a widower. They lived together all those years and never get married. Why? A certificate of marriage on file proves two people to be married. This ruling has opened the proverbial can of worms for state and local goverments concerning survivor death benefits.
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