If you or your spouse is a part of the military, he or she is probably
receiving a pension from the government. Many times this pension is divided
when a married couple determines that it is time to divorce. This can
be challenging when it comes to military payments. Oftentimes military
divorces are more difficult to settle than those with two nonmilitary
members. Usually the military pension is worth a lot of money in monthly
installments, and is guaranteed for the rest of the military spouse’s
life. According to the Wall Street Journal, it is crucial to seek counsel
from a divorce attorney that specializes in military cases when you are
trying to divide this pension, because of the amount of money involved.
If a military spouse is stationed at a base in North Carolina, and the
divorce is filed there, things can get complicated. The military spouse
might be the legal resident of a different state, and in some cases an
estranged spouse is in a third state. If forms are not filled out correctly,
then the nonmilitary spouse may lose his or her portion of the retirement
pension because of the various states involved in the divorce. The pension
will also be divided depending on how long the couple has been married.
If you have been with your husband or wife for over 10 years, then he or
she will get a portion of your military benefits directly from the government.
If you have been married for less time than this, then the government
won’t mandate a share in the retirement pension. Your spouse may
still try to obtain this money through the divorce settlement in the form
of spousal support. Military pensions also have to do with a complex mix
of state and federal regulations, so you will need help from an informed
and reliable family law attorney to make sure that things work well in
your case.
According to US Politics, the amount of military divorces has been on the
ascent. Recently, a study showed that the amount of divorces has gone
form 2.6 percent in 2001 to 3.7 percent in 2011 when it comes to military
families. Of those who were in the Air Force, 5 percent of all members’
marriages ended in divorce. The overall rate of divorce in this army branch
is the highest that it has been in 20 years. The divorce rates in the
Navy and Army are at their highest since 2004 and 3.8 percent of all Marines
get a divorce from their spouse. If you need legal help with your
military divorce, then talk to a lawyer at Hopper Law Office today!