Military retirement benefits can be one of the most valuable assets involved in a Florida divorce. For a career service member, the right to receive monthly retirement pay may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. When some or all of those benefits were earned during the marriage, determining how they should be divided can become an important part of the equitable distribution process.
Military retirement also comes with rules that do not apply to an ordinary bank account, investment account, or private pension. Florida law governs the division of marital property, but federal law determines what portions of military retirement pay can be divided and establishes procedures for enforcing certain awards.
The primary federal law is the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act, commonly known as the USFSPA. Understanding how the USFSPA interacts with Florida equitable distribution law is essential for both service members and military spouses.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer handling a case involving military retirement should therefore look at more than the service member’s current monthly retirement statement. The length of the marriage, dates of military service, retirement status, disability benefits, Survivor Benefit Plan coverage, the wording of the final judgment, and federal payment requirements can all affect the result.
What Is the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act?
The Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act is a federal statute found at 10 U.S.C. § 1408. It authorizes state courts to treat qualifying military disposable retired pay as marital property in divorce proceedings. It also creates a system through which the federal government can make certain court-ordered payments directly to a former spouse.
One of the most important things to understand about the USFSPA is what it does not do.
The USFSPA does not automatically award a military spouse a portion of the service member’s retirement.
It does not establish a nationwide rule that a former spouse receives half of a military pension.
It does not require every military pension to be divided.
Instead, the USFSPA permits state courts to apply their own domestic-relations laws to disposable military retired pay within the limits established by federal law. In a Florida divorce, that means Florida’s equitable distribution statutes determine whether and to what extent the retirement benefit represents a marital asset.
The distinction matters. A Tampa military divorce lawyer must consider both systems at the same time. Florida law answers many questions about ownership and equitable distribution, while federal law determines what military retired pay is legally divisible and whether the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, commonly called DFAS, can send payments directly to the former spouse.
Is Military Retirement Pay a Marital Asset in Florida?
Florida law generally treats retirement benefits earned during a marriage as marital assets.
Florida Statutes § 61.076 specifically provides that vested and nonvested benefits, rights, and funds accrued during the marriage in retirement and pension programs are marital assets subject to equitable distribution. Florida’s broader equitable distribution statute begins with the premise that marital assets and liabilities should be distributed equally unless circumstances justify an unequal distribution.
Military retirement benefits can therefore be divided even if the service member has not yet retired.
This is important because a military pension may represent substantial future value long before the first retirement payment is received. A spouse does not necessarily have to wait until the service member retires before the court determines the marital interest in the pension.
The basic question is generally how much of the retirement benefit was earned during the marriage.
If the service member entered the military before the marriage, the entire pension normally would not be treated as marital. Likewise, military service performed after the end of the relevant marital period may not belong to the marital estate.
For example, suppose a service member has served for 18 years when a divorce occurs, but the parties were married during only 12 of those years. The marital component is different from a situation in which the entire 18 years of service occurred during the marriage.
These calculations can become more complicated when the member remains in the military after the divorce because federal law now limits how certain post-divorce promotions and additional years of service affect the former spouse’s property award.
Does a Former Military Spouse Automatically Receive 50 Percent of Retirement?
No.
The idea that a military spouse automatically receives 50 percent of military retirement after divorce is one of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding military divorce.
There is no automatic 50 percent entitlement under the USFSPA. DFAS specifically explains that federal law does not automatically entitle a former spouse to any portion of a service member’s retired pay. A former spouse must first receive an award through a state court order.
Florida law also does not simply award half of the service member’s entire military pension without considering what portion constitutes marital property.
A Florida court instead determines the marital component and then applies Florida’s equitable distribution principles.
In many cases, this means separating the portion of the pension earned during the marriage from portions earned before or after the marriage.
For spouses trying to estimate the potential value of a retirement award, a Tampa military divorce lawyer can examine the dates of marriage, military service history, retirement system, rank, creditable service, retirement status, and applicable federal pension rules.
The result may be very different from simply dividing the service member’s current or anticipated retirement payment in half.
How Is the Marital Portion of Military Retirement Calculated?
Military retirement division often involves some version of what family law attorneys refer to as a marital fraction or coverture fraction.
Conceptually, the calculation attempts to identify the portion of the service member’s retirement that was earned while the parties were married.
A simplified example helps illustrate the idea.
Assume a couple was married for 15 years during the service member’s military career. If the member ultimately completes 25 years of military service, only part of that career overlapped with the marriage.
The former spouse’s interest would generally be based on the marital portion of the pension rather than the entire 25-year benefit.
The precise calculation, however, can depend heavily on when the divorce occurs and whether the member is already retired.
Federal law changed significantly for divorces finalized before military retirement. For many post-2016 cases, federal law effectively freezes the divisible retirement benefit based on the member’s status at divorce, with specified cost-of-living adjustments added afterward.
As a result, older explanations of military pension division found online may no longer accurately describe how a current divorce involving an active-duty service member should be handled.
This is one reason military retirement should not be treated like an ordinary pension calculation. The wording used in a marital settlement agreement or final judgment needs to account for current federal rules.
What Is the Military Retirement “Frozen Benefit Rule”?
A major change to military retirement division came from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.
For qualifying divorces finalized after December 23, 2016, when the service member has not yet begun receiving military retired pay, federal law generally limits the divisible retired pay calculation to the member’s rank or pay information and years of service existing at the time of divorce, followed by applicable retirement cost-of-living adjustments.
This is commonly called the “frozen benefit rule.”
The concept is easier to understand with an example.
Suppose an active-duty officer divorces after 14 years of service and then remains in the military for another 10 years, receiving promotions and salary increases before retiring.
Federal law generally prevents the former spouse’s property award from automatically benefiting from all of those post-divorce promotions and additional service years merely because they increased the eventual pension.
Instead, the divisible retirement benefit is generally calculated using the member’s retirement-related information at the time of divorce and then adjusted through applicable retirement COLAs.
For members who entered military service on or after September 8, 1980, DFAS generally requires the order to contain the member’s high-3 amount at divorce and the member’s years of creditable service at divorce. Different information may be required for members who entered service earlier. Reserve and Guard cases use additional variables, including retirement points.
The frozen benefit rule makes accurate pension language especially important.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer dealing with an active-duty member should determine whether the final judgment contains enough information for DFAS to calculate the award. A generic statement awarding a spouse “half of the marital portion of military retirement” may not provide the information DFAS requires.
What Is the 10/10 Rule in a Military Divorce?
Another commonly misunderstood military divorce rule is the “10/10 rule.”
Under federal law, DFAS can directly pay a former spouse’s court-ordered share of military retired pay when the parties were married for at least 10 years and at least 10 of those years overlapped with military service creditable toward retirement.
The important word is payment.
The 10/10 rule concerns eligibility for DFAS direct payment of a property division award. It does not determine whether military retirement is marital property.
A marriage lasting fewer than 10 years can still include a marital interest in military retirement under Florida law.
Consider a couple married for eight years while the service member was on active duty during all eight years. Florida law may still recognize retirement benefits accrued during those eight years as marital property. However, because the marriage does not satisfy the federal 10/10 requirement, DFAS generally cannot send the property-division payments directly to the former spouse under the USFSPA.
The service member may instead have to make the required payments directly under the terms of the final judgment or settlement agreement.
This distinction is critical. Someone who hears that the marriage “doesn’t qualify under the 10/10 rule” may incorrectly assume that no retirement division is possible.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer should separate two questions:
First, does Florida law give the spouse a marital interest in the pension?
Second, does the case satisfy the federal requirements allowing DFAS to administer the payment?
Those are not the same question.
Does the 10/10 Rule Mean the Marriage Had to Last 10 Years Before Filing for Divorce?
Not exactly.
The rule requires at least 10 years of marriage overlapping with at least 10 years of creditable military service.
What matters is the overlap.
A service member could have served for many years before marriage, for example, but those earlier years would not count toward the 10 years of marriage-and-service overlap needed for direct property payments through DFAS.
Likewise, being married for 10 years does not automatically satisfy the rule if fewer than 10 of those years overlapped with creditable military service.
Florida law separately determines the marital status of retirement benefits accrued during the marriage.
Can DFAS Pay a Former Spouse Directly?
Yes, if the federal requirements are satisfied.
The USFSPA establishes a mechanism through which DFAS can pay a former spouse directly from a service member’s disposable retired pay.
For property division payments, the 10/10 requirement generally must be satisfied. The divorce order must also comply with federal requirements concerning jurisdiction and sufficiently describe the retirement award.
A former spouse seeking direct payments generally submits DD Form 2293 along with a certified copy of the applicable court order and any additional documentation required by DFAS.
If the member is already receiving retirement pay and DFAS receives a complete qualifying application, federal law requires payments to begin within the applicable statutory processing period, which can extend up to 90 days. If the member has not yet retired, DFAS can retain the application and begin qualifying payments after the member becomes entitled to retirement pay.
Direct payment can provide practical advantages because the former spouse is not dependent on the retiree manually transferring the payment every month.
However, DFAS administration does not fix an unclear or defective retirement provision. The underlying divorce order must contain language DFAS can enforce.
What Is “Disposable Retired Pay”?
The USFSPA does not authorize states to divide every dollar associated with a military member’s retirement.
The federal statute focuses on what it calls disposable retired pay.
In simplified terms, disposable retired pay begins with qualifying military retired pay and subtracts certain amounts excluded by federal law. Those exclusions can include specified debts or recoupments owed to the United States, amounts waived to receive certain disability compensation, qualifying Chapter 61 disability retirement amounts, and certain Survivor Benefit Plan premiums.
This distinction can have significant financial consequences.
A settlement might refer casually to “military retirement,” while the federal law administered by DFAS operates using a much more specific definition.
For that reason, the exact language of the retirement provision matters.
What Is the 50 Percent Rule for DFAS Payments?
Another common misunderstanding is that federal law limits every former spouse to exactly 50 percent of the military pension.
It does not.
The USFSPA generally limits the amount of disposable retired pay DFAS can send directly to former spouses for property division awards to 50 percent of the member’s disposable retired pay.
That limitation concerns the federal payment mechanism.
It should not be confused with a rule automatically awarding the former spouse 50 percent.
A former spouse might receive substantially less depending on the length of the marriage, the military service overlap, the size of the marital portion, the parties’ settlement, and the court’s equitable distribution determination.
Separate rules may also apply when child support or alimony garnishments are involved.
Does a Florida Court Have to Have Special Jurisdiction Over the Service Member?
Military retirement creates an additional jurisdiction issue that does not arise in many civilian divorces.
Under the USFSPA, a state court generally may exercise authority over military retired pay as property when it has jurisdiction over the service member because of the member’s domicile in the state, residence in the state for reasons other than military assignment, or consent to the court’s jurisdiction.
This can become important when a service member is stationed in Florida but maintains legal domicile elsewhere.
Simply receiving military orders assigning someone to Florida does not necessarily satisfy the USFSPA’s pension jurisdiction requirement.
There can also be situations in which a service member consents to jurisdiction through participation in the divorce proceedings.
This is a separate analysis from simply determining whether someone can file a Florida divorce.
For military families who have lived in multiple states or who moved frequently because of military orders, jurisdiction should be evaluated early rather than after the retirement provisions have already been negotiated.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer reviewing a military pension case should therefore examine not only Florida divorce jurisdiction but also the specific federal jurisdiction requirements governing division of military retired pay.
How Does VA Disability Compensation Affect Military Retirement Division?
Disability benefits can create one of the most complicated areas of military retirement division.
Federal law excludes certain amounts waived from military retired pay in order to receive VA disability compensation from the definition of divisible disposable retired pay. The United States Supreme Court addressed this issue in Mansell v. Mansell and later in Howell v. Howell.
In Mansell, the Supreme Court held that federal law does not permit state courts to treat military retirement pay waived to receive veterans’ disability benefits as divisible marital property.
In Howell, the Court went further and held that a state court could not require a veteran to indemnify a former spouse for the reduction in retirement payments caused by a post-divorce waiver of retirement pay to receive disability benefits.
This issue matters because a former spouse’s expected retirement payment can sometimes decrease if the retiree later receives disability compensation requiring a waiver of retirement pay.
For example, assume a former spouse receives a percentage of disposable military retired pay under a divorce judgment. If the retiree later waives a portion of retirement pay in a manner recognized by federal law to receive disability compensation, the amount classified as divisible disposable retired pay may decrease.
Federal preemption limits what a state court can do to restore the former spouse’s lost property payment.
That makes the distinction between military retired pay and disability benefits particularly important during negotiations.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer addressing retirement should determine whether the member already receives disability compensation, has a pending disability claim, receives Chapter 61 disability retirement, or may have another military pay structure affecting disposable retired pay.
What Happens If the Service Member Is Already Retired?
When the service member is already retired, the pension analysis may be more concrete because the parties can review actual retirement payments rather than estimating a future benefit.
The retiree’s DFAS documentation may show gross retirement pay, deductions, Survivor Benefit Plan premiums, disability-related adjustments, and other relevant information.
The parties still need to determine what portion of the benefit is marital.
If the entire military career occurred during the marriage, the analysis may be more straightforward than a case involving substantial premarital service.
If only part of the service occurred during the marriage, the nonmarital and marital components must still be addressed.
An existing retirement does not eliminate the need for precise court-order language. DFAS must still be able to determine the amount or percentage awarded to the former spouse.
What Happens If the Service Member Is Still on Active Duty?
Divorcing before retirement requires additional planning.
The actual retirement date may be years away. The member may ultimately retire at a different rank than anticipated. Military pay tables can change. The member may separate without qualifying for the pension initially contemplated by the parties. Disability issues may arise. Federal law may determine the pension calculation using information existing at the time of divorce.
The divorce agreement or judgment should therefore clearly address the retirement interest rather than assuming that the member’s future pension will look exactly like today’s projection.
DFAS’s current requirements for many pre-retirement divorces require specific variables so that it can calculate the former spouse’s award when retirement eventually occurs. For active-duty members covered by the high-3 retirement system, this generally includes the member’s high-3 amount and years of creditable service as of the divorce.
If required information is missing, DFAS may reject the order and require clarification.
How Is Reserve or National Guard Retirement Divided?
Reserve and National Guard retirement benefits present additional calculation issues.
Unlike a traditional active-duty retirement based primarily on years of service, Reserve retirement calculations depend heavily on retirement points.
For divorces occurring before retirement, DFAS may require the member’s creditable Reserve retirement points at the time of divorce, along with other information depending on when the member entered military service.
Another practical difference is timing.
A Reserve member may earn the right to future retirement benefits long before beginning to receive monthly retired pay.
That means a divorce could establish the former spouse’s interest years before payments actually begin.
The final judgment needs to address the future retirement interest clearly enough that it can be implemented when the member eventually becomes entitled to retired pay.
What Happens to a Former Spouse’s Share When the Retiree Dies?
A division of military retirement pay does not necessarily provide lifetime income to the former spouse regardless of what happens to the service member.
Payments of retired pay generally terminate when the service member dies because there is no longer a retirement payment to divide.
That is why the Survivor Benefit Plan, commonly called SBP, can be an important part of military divorce negotiations.
SBP is separate from the division of military retired pay. It provides an annuity to an eligible beneficiary after the service member’s death.
A divorce judgment can require former-spouse SBP coverage in appropriate circumstances. However, strict federal deadlines apply.
When former-spouse coverage is required by a divorce order, the service member or former spouse generally must take the necessary steps within the applicable one-year period. A former spouse may submit what is known as a “deemed election” when the court has ordered the member to provide former-spouse SBP coverage.
Because these deadlines are established under federal law, simply writing an SBP obligation into a marital settlement agreement is not always enough. The required election paperwork must also be completed.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer handling a retirement award should therefore consider whether SBP coverage is part of the settlement and clearly allocate responsibility for making the election and addressing the associated premium.
Who Pays the Survivor Benefit Plan Premium?
SBP coverage is not free after retirement.
Premiums are ordinarily deducted from military retired pay. The economic effect of those premiums should be considered when negotiating a divorce settlement.
The parties may negotiate how the cost should effectively be allocated between them, depending on the circumstances and the structure of the settlement.
The final judgment should also clearly identify the intended level of former-spouse coverage when SBP is part of the agreement.
Failing to address the premium can create disputes later because the cost affects the net retirement payment.
Does a Former Spouse Receive Cost-of-Living Adjustments?
The answer can depend on how the award is written.
DFAS explains that when a former spouse receives a percentage award of disposable retired pay, the percentage award generally receives a proportionate share of applicable cost-of-living adjustments.
By contrast, a fixed-dollar award does not automatically receive COLA increases merely because retirement pay increases.
This means there can be an important difference between an order awarding a former spouse a fixed monthly dollar amount and an order awarding a percentage of disposable retired pay.
The long-term consequences should be considered when choosing how to express the retirement award.
Why Does the Exact Language of the Divorce Judgment Matter?
Military retirement provisions should be drafted with implementation in mind.
DFAS must be able to determine the former spouse’s award from the language of the court order.
DFAS has specifically warned that vague provisions such as awarding “50 percent of the marital portion” may not contain enough information to calculate the payment. An order may need to identify a percentage, fixed amount, formula, hypothetical award, or other information sufficient for DFAS to perform the calculation.
For post-2016 pre-retirement divorces, additional information may also be required because of the frozen benefit rule.
A well-drafted retirement provision may need to address:
The former spouse’s percentage or formula.
The dates or service measurements relevant to the marital portion.
The member’s military retirement information required by DFAS.
Whether the member is already retired.
Whether the 10/10 rule is satisfied.
Whether payments will be made directly through DFAS.
What happens before DFAS payments begin.
Whether SBP coverage is required.
Who bears the economic cost of SBP premiums.
How applicable COLAs will be treated.
Whether disability benefits or disability-related reductions are already present.
The exact requirements will depend on the circumstances.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer reviewing a settlement should consider whether someone reading the provision several years later will be able to determine exactly what the parties intended and whether DFAS will have the information required to implement the award.
What Happens If DFAS Rejects the Retirement Order?
DFAS can reject an application if the court order does not satisfy federal requirements.
Sometimes the problem is procedural, such as missing documentation. In other cases, the retirement award itself is too vague for DFAS to calculate.
When DFAS cannot determine the amount of the former spouse’s award, a clarification order may be necessary.
This can create additional attorney’s fees, delay payments, and potentially reopen disputes about what the original judgment intended.
Careful drafting at the time of divorce can reduce that risk.
Can Military Retirement Be Offset Against Another Asset?
Not every divorce requires the parties to divide each retirement payment indefinitely.
In some cases, spouses may negotiate a property settlement in which one spouse retains more of a retirement account while the other receives a greater share of another marital asset.
Whether that makes financial sense depends on the value and characteristics of the assets involved.
A military pension is different from cash sitting in a checking account. Its value can depend on the retiree’s lifespan, retirement date, pension structure, COLAs, disability-related issues, tax consequences, and survivor benefits.
When a significant pension is being exchanged for other property, a present-value analysis may sometimes be useful.
Neither spouse should assume that $100,000 of projected pension income necessarily has the same economic characteristics as $100,000 of immediately accessible cash or home equity.
Military Retirement Is Different From the Thrift Savings Plan
Military families should also avoid confusing military retired pay with a Thrift Savings Plan account.
Military retired pay is generally a defined monthly retirement benefit governed by the rules discussed above.
A Thrift Savings Plan is a defined-contribution retirement account containing an account balance.
The two assets are divided differently and require different court-order procedures.
A divorce can involve both assets at the same time.
Someone may therefore have a marital interest in military retired pay as well as a marital interest in funds accumulated in the service member’s Thrift Savings Plan during the marriage.
They should be evaluated separately rather than grouped together as a single “military retirement” asset.
What Documents Are Helpful in a Military Retirement Divorce?
Accurate information is essential before negotiating the pension.
Depending on the case, useful records may include retirement account statements, retiree account statements, service records, leave and earnings statements, documents reflecting the member’s date of entry into service, retirement-point statements for Reserve or Guard members, disability information relevant to disposable retired pay, and SBP elections.
For a member who has not yet retired, determining the high-3 information or other pension variables required by federal law may also be necessary.
DFAS does not simply calculate every missing retirement variable for divorcing spouses. Current DFAS guidance specifically notes that it cannot calculate a member’s high-3 amount for use in divorce proceedings.
Obtaining the right records before the settlement is finalized can prevent avoidable problems later.
Frequently Asked Questions About Military Retirement and Florida Divorce
Can my spouse take half of my military retirement in a Florida divorce?
Not automatically. Florida generally treats retirement benefits earned during the marriage as marital assets, but the court first has to determine the marital component and apply equitable distribution principles. The USFSPA does not create an automatic 50 percent award.
Do you have to be married for 10 years to receive part of military retirement?
No. The 10/10 rule generally determines whether DFAS can make direct property-division payments to a former spouse. A shorter marriage can still create a marital interest in retirement benefits earned during the marriage.
What does 10/10 mean in a military divorce?
It generally means at least 10 years of marriage overlapping with at least 10 years of military service creditable toward retirement. When that requirement and the other federal requirements are met, DFAS can generally make the former spouse’s property-division payments directly.
Can a former spouse receive military retirement even if the service member has not retired yet?
A Florida divorce can determine the former spouse’s marital interest before retirement. Actual monthly pension payments generally begin when the member becomes entitled to receive military retired pay.
Does my former spouse get the benefit of promotions I receive after divorce?
For many divorces finalized before the service member retires, federal law applies the frozen benefit rule. The divisible retirement calculation is generally based on the member’s retirement-related status at divorce, with applicable COLAs, rather than automatically incorporating all later promotions and additional service.
Can VA disability benefits be divided in a Florida divorce?
Federal law limits the division of military retirement pay waived to receive VA disability compensation. The United States Supreme Court has held that states cannot treat the waived retirement amount as divisible marital property and cannot require indemnification merely to replace the former spouse’s lost share of that waived retired pay.
Does DFAS automatically start paying a former spouse after divorce?
No. The former spouse generally must submit the appropriate application and qualifying court order to DFAS. For retired-pay property awards, DD Form 2293 is generally used.
What happens if the divorce judgment just says the former spouse receives half of the marital retirement?
That wording may be insufficient for DFAS in some cases. Federal requirements can require additional information so DFAS can calculate the exact award, particularly when the member has not yet retired.
Does military retirement continue to my former spouse after I die?
The former spouse’s share of retired pay generally does not continue simply because the divorce judgment divided the pension. Survivor Benefit Plan coverage is a separate benefit designed to provide an annuity following the service member’s death.
How long does a former spouse have to request Survivor Benefit Plan coverage?
Federal deadlines can be strict. When a court requires former-spouse SBP coverage, a former spouse generally has one year from the relevant court order to submit a deemed election request.
Can military retirement be divided if the service member is stationed in Florida but domiciled somewhere else?
Potentially, but jurisdiction requires careful analysis. For purposes of dividing military retired pay under the USFSPA, federal law generally requires jurisdiction based on domicile, residence for reasons other than military assignment, or the member’s consent. Military assignment alone does not necessarily establish the necessary pension jurisdiction.
Does a Reserve or National Guard pension get divided differently?
The same general concepts of marital and nonmarital property apply, but the pension calculation can be different because Reserve retirement relies heavily on retirement points. DFAS may require the member’s creditable Reserve points as of the divorce when implementing a pre-retirement award.
Why Military Retirement Requires Careful Planning in a Florida Divorce
Military retirement can be one of the largest assets accumulated during a long marriage, but dividing it requires coordination between Florida equitable distribution law and detailed federal rules.
The USFSPA allows Florida courts to treat qualifying disposable military retired pay as marital property. Florida law generally treats retirement benefits accrued during the marriage as marital assets. Federal law then places limits on what constitutes divisible retired pay and establishes the requirements for direct payments through DFAS.
The 10/10 rule, frozen benefit rule, federal jurisdiction requirements, disability exclusions, DFAS order requirements, Reserve retirement points, COLAs, and Survivor Benefit Plan elections can each affect the final result.
Small drafting differences can also have long-term financial consequences. An unclear pension provision may not become a problem until years after the divorce, when the member retires and DFAS attempts to implement the judgment.
For service members and spouses dealing with a substantial pension, consulting a Tampa military divorce lawyerfamiliar with both Florida equitable distribution law and federal military retirement rules can help ensure that the marital portion is identified correctly and that the final judgment contains provisions capable of being implemented when retirement benefits become payable.
Military retirement division is not simply a matter of splitting a monthly check. It requires determining what was earned during the marriage, understanding which federal benefits are legally divisible, drafting an enforceable court order, and addressing related issues such as disability compensation and survivor protection.
A Tampa military divorce lawyer can evaluate those issues within the broader property settlement so that military retirement is addressed alongside the other financial components of the divorce rather than treated as an isolated benefit.
Written by Damien McKinney, Founding Partner
Damien McKinney is the Founding Partner of The McKinney Law Group Family & Divorce Lawyers, bringing nearly two decades of experience to complex marital and family law matters. He is licensed in both Florida and North Carolina and has been repeatedly recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers.