§ 591.402 Definitions. *Adult,* a term used in the Department of State *Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians, Foreign Areas),* means a family member who is 21 years of age or older.
*Domestic partner* means a person in a domestic partnership with an employee or annuitant of the same sex.
*Domestic partnership* means a committed relationship between two adults of the same sex in which the partners— ( 1 ) Are each other's sole domestic partner and intend to remain so indefinitely;
( 2 ) Maintain a common residence, and intend to continue to do so (or would maintain a common residence but for an assignment abroad or other employment-related, financial, or similar obstacle);
( 3 ) Are at least 18 years of age and mentally competent to consent to contract;
( 4 ) Share responsibility for a significant measure of each other's financial obligations;
( 5 ) Are not married or joined in a civil union to anyone else;
( 6 ) Are not the domestic partner of anyone else;
( 7 ) Are not related in a way that, if they were of opposite sex, would prohibit legal marriage in the U.S. jurisdiction in which the domestic partnership was formed;
( 8 ) Are willing to certify, if required by the agency, that they understand that willful falsification of any documentation required to establish that an individual is in a domestic partnership may lead to disciplinary action and the recovery of the cost of benefits received related to such falsification, as well as constitute a criminal violation under 18 U.S.C. 1001, and that the method for securing such certification, if required, will be determined by the agency; and
( 9 ) Are willing promptly to disclose, if required by the agency, any dissolution or material change in the status of the domestic partnership.
*Family member* means one or more of the following relatives of an employee who would normally reside with the employee except for circumstances warranting the granting of a separate maintenance allowance, but who does not receive from the Government an allowance similar to that granted to the employee and who is not deemed to be a family member of another employee for the purpose of determining the amount of a separate maintenance allowance or similar allowance: ( 1 ) Children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age or who, regardless of age, are incapable of self-support, including natural children, step and adopted children, and those under legal guardianship or custody of the employee, or of the employee's spouse or domestic partner, when they are expected to be under such legal guardianship or custody at least until they reach 21 years of age and when dependent upon and normally residing with the guardian;
( 2 ) Parents (including step and legally adoptive parents) of the employee, or of the employee's spouse or domestic partner, when such parents are at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support;
( 3 ) Sisters and brothers (including step or adoptive sisters and brothers) of the employee, or of the employee's spouse or domestic partner, when such sisters and brothers are at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support, unmarried and under 21 years of age, or regardless of age, are incapable of self-support;
( 4 ) Spouse, excluding a spouse independently entitled to and receiving a similar allowance; or
( 5 ) Domestic partner, excluding a domestic partner independently entitled to and receiving a similar allowance.
*Johnston Island,* also called Johnston Atoll, is a possession of the United States located 717 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii.
*Separate maintenance allowance* means an allowance to assist an employee assigned to Johnston Island who is compelled by reason of dangerous, notably unhealthful, or excessively adverse living conditions at Johnston Island, or for the convenience of the Government, to meet the additional expense of maintaining family members at a location other than Johnston Island.
[61 FR 27244, May 31, 1996, as amended at 77 FR 42905, July 20, 2012]