If you live in Ohio, are in the military or married to someone who is, and are heading for divorce, it is important that you recognize the various ways in which military divorces differ from traditional ones. While divorce is rarely easy for anyone, military divorces involve special considerations for you and your family, and recognizing what these considerations are may save you considerable time, stress and money moving forward. At the Law Office of Kristen L. Campbell, we have a solid understanding of the special circumstances involved in military divorces, and we have helped many couples with military ties learn to navigate them.
Often, one of the first things divorcing military couples want to know is whether the non-military party will retain access to military benefits once divorce proceedings start. If, per Military OneSource, you have a spouse who is also a military member, you can expect to retain your health care benefits and your ability to use a military commissary until your divorce becomes final. Once it does, however, unless you meet very specific criteria that most military couples do not, you will lose your access to TRICARE benefits. However, you do have the option of purchasing up to 36 months of temporary health care coverage through the U.S. Department of Defense.
If you and your military spouse share children, however, those children may retain access to military benefits until age 21, or age 23, if they are current college students. In the case of child or spousal support, there are many variables involved. If you and your soon-to-be-ex spouse do not have an existing agreement or court order in place pertaining to child or spousal support, whether you will receive support from your former partner will depend to some degree on what branch of the military he or she served in.
These are just some of the ways in which military divorces differ from those involving non-military couples. More about military divorce is available on our web page.
