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How is military divorce different from civilian divorce?

| Sep 9, 2015 | Military Divorce

Divorce is rarely an easy and stress-free event. However, preparing for your impeding divorce in the right way can help to ease the stress caused by this big change in your and your family’s life. Active and inactive military members need to look at divorce differently from civilians. This is because military divorce for Clarksville residents is governed by federal and state laws.

Because marriage legal issues are normally a matter of Tennessee state law, the governing of military divorce using federal law is an unusual factor that servicemen and women must consider. For example, state law might still govern issues like alimony, but federal law would apply to property division involving a service member’s pension benefits.

This can get even more complicated when filing because military men and women who are contemplating divorce are allowed to file for divorce in the state that they are stationed. Typically, you must be a resident of a state to file for divorce in that state, but military members have additional options. There are two major military bases in Tennessee, which means any number of men and women from different states can file for divorce in Tennessee if this is their preference. If the non-military spouse wishes to file for divorce in another state, this can lead to conflict.

Military divorce has some significant differences from civilian divorce. There are many things for military families to discuss when it comes to filing for divorce. If these issues, such as where to file for divorce, can be decided without conflict, it will speed up the process of the divorce. Like any other divorce, however, people going through a military divorce should be sure to thoroughly work through every divorce issue.

Source: FindLaw, “Military Divorce,” Accessed Sept. 7, 2015

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