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Ernst & Young Becomes First Big 4 Firm to Equalize Health Insurance Costs for LGBT Employees

Posted on by Caleb Newquist

Nice job, E&Y. Hope to see the other Big 4 follow suit.

Ernst & Young and its affiliates have begun reimbursing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees for any additional federal and state taxes they incur for their same-sex domestic partners’ medical benefits in the U.S., starting Jan. 1, 2012. E&Y is joining a small but growing number of employers around the country in offering this benefit to their LGBT employees. However, E&Y said Monday it is the first of the Big Four accounting firms to offer the perk, which is meant to underscore the firm’s commitment to LGBT inclusiveness and perhaps serve as a recruiting tool.

For those interested, The New York Times' Bucks Blog has a running list of employers that reimburse LGBT employees for the extra tax incurred. It all started with Google in July 2010 and it seems to be gaining momentum, with companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley all adopting the policy in January 2012.
 

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Update on Censured Ernst & Young Manager

Just a brief follow-up on the manager who received the disciplinary action handed down by the PCAOB on Monday.

We attempted to reach Jacqueline Higgins late yesterday at her office number in Boston, however we discovered that when we were transferred to her extension we simply bounced back to reception, who needless to say, was very confused about that phenomenon. After attempting to page Ms. Higgins, only then did the receptionist learn and then relay to us that Ms. Higgins was no longer with the firm.

We checked with Ernst & Young spokesman Charlie Perkins on this development and he confirmed that Ms. Higgins “will be leaving the firm at the end of the year.”

And lest there still be any confusion due to the carefully worded E&Y statement, the partner and senior manager in question have been dismissed from the firm.

We’ll keep you updated if we hear more from inside at the firm or if further action is taken by the PCAOB.