Hey all, I’m dealing with a really messy divorce as a military spouse. Filed in 2020, but it’s still not finalized. We married in 2010, split in 2020, and my lawyer put the marriage at ‘nearly 10 years’ in the paperwork, but I feel like that might affect my rights under USFSPA? Plus, my husband’s been hiding income and bonuses, and now he’s pushing for remarriage through a bifurcation change. Any advice? Just trying to make sure my rights are covered.
Oof, sounds like a rough ride. That ‘nearly 10 years’ thing can actually matter with USFSPA benefits. Have you considered getting a military-specific attorney?
CaseCraftMaster2 said:
Oof, sounds like a rough ride. That ‘nearly 10 years’ thing can actually matter with USFSPA benefits. Have you considered getting a military-specific attorney?
Yeah, I thought my attorneys were knowledgeable, but they didn’t even understand his LES. Might be time to find someone who really knows military cases.
CaseCraftMaster2 said:
Oof, sounds like a rough ride. That ‘nearly 10 years’ thing can actually matter with USFSPA benefits. Have you considered getting a military-specific attorney?
Wait, what’s an LES? Sorry, new here lol.
CaseCraftMaster2 said:
Oof, sounds like a rough ride. That ‘nearly 10 years’ thing can actually matter with USFSPA benefits. Have you considered getting a military-specific attorney?
No worries! LES is the Leave and Earnings Statement… basically like a pay stub for military folks.
Wasn’t there anything in his statements about his actual income? If he’s making way more than he claimed, that should be flagged somehow.
Marcell said:
Wasn’t there anything in his statements about his actual income? If he’s making way more than he claimed, that should be flagged somehow.
I have proof he made way more, but his attorney keeps saying otherwise. Trying to see if I can get that info subpoenaed.
Marcell said:
Wasn’t there anything in his statements about his actual income? If he’s making way more than he claimed, that should be flagged somehow.
Definitely worth the subpoena! I had to do that in my case, and it showed way more income than he admitted to.
If he’s asking for bifurcation, that might be his way of dodging some financial responsibility. Are there protections if he remarries before this is finalized?
Penn said:
If he’s asking for bifurcation, that might be his way of dodging some financial responsibility. Are there protections if he remarries before this is finalized?
Yeah, exactly. I feel like it’s a smokescreen to avoid what he owes, especially since he got all these bonuses.
Penn said:
If he’s asking for bifurcation, that might be his way of dodging some financial responsibility. Are there protections if he remarries before this is finalized?
Sounds like bifurcation could complicate things. Maybe worth pushing back on that until he’s been fully transparent with his income.
Have you thought about reporting the income discrepancies to the court directly? If you’ve got evidence, it could help push things along.
Miko said:
Have you thought about reporting the income discrepancies to the court directly? If you’ve got evidence, it could help push things along.
Good idea. My current attorney didn’t push hard enough on that… might have to switch again.
Miko said:
Have you thought about reporting the income discrepancies to the court directly? If you’ve got evidence, it could help push things along.
Ugh, lawyer switching sounds exhausting but might be worth it in the long run. Military divorces can get so tricky.
I had a friend who went through a military divorce and had to fight hard for her part of his benefits. She ended up consulting a specialist in USFSPA cases. Worth a shot?
Yan said:
I had a friend who went through a military divorce and had to fight hard for her part of his benefits. She ended up consulting a specialist in USFSPA cases. Worth a shot?
Definitely looking into that now! Glad to know it helped your friend.