Today you may not think twice about splitting military retirement benefits during a #divorce. But it wasn’t always that way. A 1981 U.S. Supreme Court decision, McCarty v. McCarty, actually precluded state courts from dividing military retired pay as an asset of the marriage. In response, Congress passed the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (USFSPA in 1982. This legislation specifically …
Dividing Military Retired Pay Benefits In Divorce
Dividing Military Retired Pay Benefits In Divorce The Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (USFSPA) was passed by Congress in 1982, specifically to give a state court the authority to treat military retired pay as marital property and divide it between the spouses. This legislation was in direct response to the preceding year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in McCarty v. McCarty, …
Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
The Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA) expanded and improved the former Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act (SSCRA). The SCRA provides a wide range of protections for individuals entering, called to active duty in the military, or deployed servicemembers. It is intended to postpone or suspend certain civil obligations to enable service members to devote full attention to duty and relieve stress …