The Military Divorce Handbook is now available in its Third Edition as of May 20, the American Bar Association announced.  This third version of the ABA best-seller is 40% larger than the Second Edition, with two volumes due to the significant increase in content.

What’s new in the book?  Just a few of the improved sections are:

  • In Chapter 1 you’ll find an expanded section about rules and resources for getting documents from the government (e.g., pay records, retirement orders, VA rating, time in service and type of discharge) under the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.
  • Chapter 2 contains a new glossary of cases on the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a chart showing the new statutory sections for the Act since its codification by Congress in 2015, and new information on how to search the Defense Department’s on-line database for whether a party is serving in the military.
  • Chapter 3 includes a section-by-section analysis of the Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act (now the law in 14 jurisdictions), and an expanded section on international kidnaping remedies and the Hague Abduction Convention.
  • In Chapter 5 on “Domestic Abuse,” the reader will see new written resources and tools regarding domestic violence and the Family Advocacy Program, a section on Article 128b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (making domestic violence a new criminal offence), and new information on representation for sexual assault victims and compensation for domestic-abuse victims.
  • A link to the Army JAG School’s Federal Income Tax Course is found at Chapter 7, along with guidance on tax-free allowances and their impact on the income of servicemembers.
  • In Chapter 8 on division of property and pensions, you will find entirely new sections on the Blended Retirement System (which took effect Jan. 1, 2019), the Supreme Court’s 2017 Howell decision as to VA payments and indemnification, new rules about the amendment to the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act which freezes the divisible pension on the date of divorce (the “Frozen Benefit Rule”), new resources for understanding military retired pay, and an expanded section on reduction in grade at retirement due to misconduct.

I hope you’ll find my book useful and easy to read.  I spent three years putting together this edition!

-Mark Sullivan