Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, many same-sex couples are eligible for federal benefits. But federal agencies use different standards to decide whether a couple is considered married. Some agencies look at the state the couple reside in, while others look to the state they were married in.
This has very unfair consequences. A couple married in New York but living in Montana would not be eligible for many federal benefits. They would be married according to the Department of Defense, but not according to the Department of Veterans' Affairs!
President Obama can immediately issue an executive order directing federal agencies to enact a uniform place of celebration standard so that all married couples have equal federal benefits.