Military Divorce Law in Pennsylvania
Family Law Legal Help from a Firm Founded in 1951
Few events strain marriage like the events and relocation of wartime. Even major news organizations cover the marital stress faced by current members of the armed forces, and their spouses.
Fortunately, if you face family law issues as a military service person, you enjoy a number of special legal rights and safeguards. For instance:
- Service persons are protected by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act which allows for the temporary suspension of legal proceedings and transactions in order to ensure that service persons' civil rights are not prejudiced during their terms of service
- Military retirement pay that has been waived in order to receive veterans' disability payments is exempt from distribution as marital property
- Service members can exclude a portion of their retirement benefits from the marital estate by converting it to disability payments
Rights of Military Spouses
But there are always two people in a marriage, and the rights of each must be protected. State and federal law also protects the spouses of service members, including their right to receive military-related property in a divorce, including:
- Disposable retired pay, provided that the parties were married for at least ten years
- The Survivor Benefit Plan permits a military retirees to provide an annuity to a former spouse
- Service members can not defeat an order to pay by converting pay to disability payments once the order is given
Divorce law, already complex, is further complicated by military involvement. For experienced legal assistance in pursuing your family law and divorce law legal rights as a service person or military spouse, contact our firm for a no-charge discussion.
Contact Us
If you have questions regarding military divorce, contact the attorneys of the Harrisburg and Millersburg law firm of Shaffer & Engle Law Offices, LLC. We accept credit cards, are available for evening and weekend appointments and operate two offices for your convenience. To contact a lawyer, call 717-827-4074 or 866-765-0706.
