The Supreme Court’s split five-to-four ruling in Obergefell v.Hodges confirming same-sex couples’ constitutionalright to marry spurred supportive statements from some of thenation’s largest sponsors of retirement plans.

Apple and United Airlines were among the companies that issuedstatements of support in the immediate wake of the decision, whichstrikes down same-sex marriage bans in 13 states.

When it comes to administering retirement benefits for marriedsame-sex workers, the nation-wide uniformity established withtoday’s ruling brings welcomed clarity to sponsors of retirementplans, said Annette Guarisco Fildes, CEO of the ERISA IndustryCommittee, the trade group that represents the interests of thecountry’s largest retirement plan sponsors.

“The nation’s top employers, many of whom are members of ERIC,will be relieved to be able to treat their employees uniformly,regardless of where they live or work,” said Fildes in astatement.

“ERIC supports the uniformity of common employee benefit rulesand policies across the country, as its members operate and providebenefits to their employees in all 50 states. Today’sdecision helps our industry with that federally neededconsistency,” she added.

In 2013, after the Supreme Court issued a ruling striking downthe Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor, theDepartment of Labor issued guidance saying the Employee RetirementIncome Security Act would recognize same-sex marriages in statesthat also recognize the legal unions and would also extendprotections to same-sex married couples that live in states thatdon’t legally recognize the unions.

That guidance brought relief to sponsors relative to theiremployees who are legally married in one state, but reside and workin a state that does not recognize gay marriage.

With Windsor, and the DOL’s subsequent guidance, legally marriedsame-sex couples were guaranteed federal protections on ERISA.

But questions remained for sponsors with employees in statesthat did not recognize gay-marriage.

They may be most impacted by today’s ruling, according to poston Proskauer’s ERISA practice blog.

“Employers, particularly those operating in states thatcurrently ban same-sex marriage, should review their benefit plansand policies and consider whether any changes need to be made” inlight of the decision, according to the post.

The attorneys at Proskauer speculate that the Obergefell rulingwill have much more impact on the administration ofemployee-sponsored heath care benefit plans.

Read: How the same-sex ruling affects benefitsmanagers

One administrative impact on 401(k) plans could be with respectto those transactions that require spousal consent, such as when aplan participant changes the named beneficiary on his or herplan.

The ruling is also expected to significantly affect how moremarried same-sex couples apply for Social Security benefits.

Research from Financial Engines, the largest provider of managedaccounts to 401(k) plan sponsors, showed the right to marry couldmean up to $250,000 more in lifetime benefits for some same-sexcouples.