When you’re in the military, the military tends to take precedent over other parts of your life. You may not want to place your duties over taking care of your family, but it’s sometimes your obligation. Unfortunately for some, those military obligations can put a strain on their families and lead to divorces.
Military divorces aren’t like civilian divorces in some ways. While the legal process for a divorce is primarily the same, some differences in property division and custody arrangements could impact your case. For instance, if you’re living with your spouse and a child, your military experience and risk of deployment could put your right to shared or sole custody at risk.
As far as military pensions and retirement go, spouses are usually only able to obtain a portion of those benefits if they are married for 10 years that overlap with 10 years of military service. This could be a good reason to wait longer before filing for divorce, especially if you are only a few months or a year away from obtaining those benefits as the spouse of a military member.
Another thing to consider is your current life on base. If you are a spouse of a military member, you could lose your right to be on base if you get a divorce. However, if your ex-spouse was in the military for 20 years and your marriage overlapped with that time in the service for 20 years, you should be able to retain your privileges for as long as you go without remarrying.
Military divorces have many factors to consider. It’s wise to get help from someone familiar with this type of divorce.
Source: Military.com, “Understanding Divorce in the Military,” accessed Jan. 11, 2018
No Comments
Leave a comment