Under California Insurance Code Section 381.5, group life insurance policies in California must treat registered domestic partners:

Why A is correct

Section 381.5 requires that group life insurance policies issued or delivered in California afford registered domestic partners the same rights and benefits as spouses. This means a registered domestic partner may be covered under the group policy, may be named as a beneficiary, and must be treated equally under the policy's terms. California's domestic partner statute is a specific, testable deviation from older policies that recognized only spouses, and it applies directly to group life coverage delivered in the state.

Why the other options are wrong

• B) Registered domestic partners are expressly entitled to the same treatment as spouses under the statute, not excluded from coverage. The requirement applies to policies issued or delivered in California and cannot be waived by contract.
• C) Domestic partners may be named beneficiaries and receive coverage like spouses; they are not limited to dependent status. The statute mandates equal treatment, so excluding domestic partners would violate California law.
• D) The statute requires equal, not different, treatment between spouses and registered domestic partners under group life policies. Domestic partners may hold coverage and be named beneficiaries exactly like spouses under the policy.

Memory hook

Section 381.5: domestic partners sit at the same table as spouses. Equal coverage, equal benefits, equal rights.