Florida’s Ex-Military Spouses Should Research Benefits Available After Divorce
by
Daniel M. Copeland on Feb. 16, 2015
Divorce & Family Law Divorce Other Military
Summary: Ex-spouses of military personnel living in Florida may be unaware that they are able to receive some benefits, even after they are no longer married.
When a military divorce occurs, both parties should find out what benefits are available to both the ex-spouse and any dependent children the couple may have. Indeed, it is a difficult situation, but procrastination does not make the situation any better. In fact, finding out what benefits to which they are entitled can help ease the burden of the broken relationship.
Granted, the procedures to discover benefits are often complicated. Yet for the sake of the children and of each spouse, the parties need to take the time to find out to which benefits they are entitled. Often children are eligible for benefits, no matter in whose home they live.
Many of these updates can be completed online during the divorce itself so that the children can continue receiving every benefit to which they are entitled without a gap in their coverage. Spouses should search for information on the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) to see which benefits can be applied for online, and which ones must be completed in writing or in person.
Ex-spouses may be surprised to discover that they also may be eligible for benefits- if they meet the qualifications. Those qualifications are the following: the military spouse should have spent 20 or more years in military service, the couple must have remained in the marriage for 20 years or more—and of those 20 years, 15 or more need to have been spent in the service. To find out if they are eligible for such benefits, the ex-spouse needs to ask their military former spouse to inquire about eligibility.
To bring a marital relationship to a close is a difficult choice to make. Because of the shared commitment to the nation’s defense that is involved in a military marriage, ending such a marriage may be even more difficult. Yet ensuring that their dependents are provided for can help to ease the pain involved. For Florida residents who are ex-spouses of military members, it is essential that they take advantage of every benefit that is available to them.
