Military parents face many unique complications and challenges, beyond those of non-military families. One matter that requires special attention is child visitation, which can be disrupted by deployments to other states or overseas.Basic visitation arrangements for...
Month: January 2015
Shared Custody Arrangements and Choice of School District
The issue before the Superior Court in Ames v. Town of Wayland, was to determine whether a town could refuse to enroll a child of a divorced resident in its public school solely on the ground that on most school nights the child slept at his mother's home in another...
Child Custody Issues: Legal and Physical Custody
A divorce has a profound effect on the children involved. When making a determination of whether the issue of custody should be raised in a divorce action, it is important to know the differences between legal and physical custody.Legal and physical custody is defined...
Division of Military Retirement Pay: Remedies for Post Divorce VA Waivers
Congress enacted the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act (USFSPA), allowing the division of military retirement pay in a divorce, but specifically prohibiting the division of VA disability pay.Thus, today, when dividing property of divorcing military...
Guardianship and Less Restrictive Alternatives
Guardianship is a legal means of protecting children and " incompetent adults" who cannot take care of themselves, make decisions that are in their best interest, or handle their assets due to a physical or mental disability. The subject of guardianship for an adult...
Divorce and Special Needs Planning: When a party in a divorce has a disability or has a child with a disability
Parents who are disabled, as well as parents of children with disabilities, have special planning needs which need to be addressed if the parties are in the midst of a divorce.When a party in a divorce has a disability or has a child with a disability who is receiving...
Health Care Options for Former Military Spouses
A military spouse is entitled to varying degrees of continuing healthcare coverage, depending on whether they meet certain criteria.If a former spouse was married to a servicemember or former servicemember for at least 20 years during which the service member...
Social Security Retirement Planner: If you are divorced
If you are divorced, but your marriage lasted 10 years or longer, you can receive benefits on your ex-spouse's record even if he or she has remarried if: You are unmarried; You are age 62 or older; Your ex-spouse is entitled to Social Security retirement or disability...
Domestic Violence Law in Massachusetts
An Act relative to domestic violence signed into law on August 8, 2014, establishes new criminal offenses related to domestic violence, creates new legal protections and imposes training requirements for judges and court personnel became effective August 8, 2014. The...
Modification of Alimony Obligations
A case of first impression, Lalchandani v. Roddy, was heard by the Supreme Judicial Court to determine whether under the Alimony Reform Act of 2011, a payor spouse who has reached full Social Security retirement is entitled to modification of his alimony obligation,...