COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has again been named one of the Best
Places to Work for LGBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign
Foundation. AEP earned a perfect score for the second consecutive
year on the foundation's 2018 Corporate Equality Index, a national
benchmark of workplace policies, benefits and practices for members
of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
"AEP's commitment to diversity and inclusion is a critical
component of our culture," said Nicholas K.
Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer.
"We understand the value of the individual contributions and unique
experiences each person brings to our company every day, and we
will continue to reinforce this with policies that encourage
everyone to feel engaged in the success of AEP."
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation released earlier this month
its 2018 report evaluating non-discrimination workplace
protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive
healthcare benefits, competency programs and public engagement with
the LGBT community based on information provided through surveys
completed by the companies and/or through public sources.
AEP's perfect score was supported by its strong commitment to
support workplace diversity, including:
- Extending benefits for same-sex couples and their
dependents.
- Offering coverage of transition-related care, based on medical
necessity, to individuals who identify as transgender.
- Providing families with adoption assistance, reimbursing
employees up to $3,000 per child for
eligible adoption-related expenses and providing up to 40 hours of
paid leave for new adoptive parents.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a
smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and
custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's more than 17,000
employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity
transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution
lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4
million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the
nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 33,000
megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,200 megawatts
of renewable energy. AEP's family of companies includes utilities
AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West
Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky
Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power
Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy
Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide
innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
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SOURCE American Electric Power