When you enter into an Ohio marriage with someone who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, you typically gain access to certain benefits reserved for military personnel and their families. For example, you have probably grown used to shopping for groceries and supplies at military commissaries, where your purchases are tax-free and discounted, and you likely also utilize TRICARE, which provides health care coverage for military families. At the Law Office of Kristen L. Campbell, LLC, we understand that many people divorcing military spouses have questions about benefit eligibility following divorce, and we have helped many such clients answer these and related queries.
According to Military.com, maintaining access to military benefits after divorce is something you can do only if you and your former military spouse’s relationship meets certain set parameters. More specifically, to be able to retain access to military benefits, post-divorce, you and your ex’s situation must meet the terms of what is known as the 20/20/20 military divorce rule.
In essence, the 20/20/20 rule dictates that only those who had 20-year marriages with a military service member who served at least 20 years are potentially eligible for military benefits after divorce. In order to qualify for benefits after your split, however, those 20 years of marriage and your spouse’s 20 years of military service must also have also overlapped for at least 20 years.
In other words, most former military spouses do not retain access to military benefits once their marriages dissolve, but there is some good news. If you and your former military spouse share children, your kids can maintain military benefit eligibility, even when you cannot. You can find out more about military divorces by visiting our webpage.
