When Does A Domestic Partnership Need To Be Filed To Perfect A Partner’s Interest In Retirement Benefits:

In the case of Burnham v. CalPERS, (2012) 208 Cal. App. 4^th 1576, the parties did not register their domestic partnership during the lifetime of one of the partners.  The Court of Appeal ruled that if a domestic partnership is not registered with the Secretary of State until after the passing of one of the partners, the subsequent filing will not be recognized for purposes of entitlement to state pension survivor benefits.