Many Alabama residents do their best to pay tribute to the men and women who are serving this country. Residents understand the sacrifices and challenges that those who serve must pay, and residents try to help out where they can.

Unfortunately, these sacrifices often lead to other consequences, including increased rates of divorce for those military members who serve time overseas away from their families. According to a new study, the risk of divorce increases for those who have spent time deployed to combat zones. This was particularly true for women in the military, according to the study, who faced a greater chance of divorce than the men who were studied. What’s more, as could be expected, the study indicated that the longer the length of deployment, the greater the risk of divorce.

For military members who get divorced, there are some special issues to be aware of that can impact everything from where the case is heard to the parties’ asset division. For instance, as an initial matter, service members cannot be sued, including in divorce proceedings, while on active duty or for a short period of time after coming off active duty pursuant to federal law. Military members may also have more choices when it comes to the choice of state in which to file for divorce, due to the residency issues that may accompany being in the military.

Finally, while an equitable division of property may be the goal in a military divorce, just as in a civilian divorce, there are special rules for property division. Federal laws dictate how military pensions are to be divided, as well as other military benefits. Military rules also impact spousal maintenance and child support to some degree, which may set a military divorce apart from a regular divorce.

Source: Star Tribune, “Military affairs beat: study ties the time in combat to divorce risk,” Mark Brunswick, Sept. 10, 2013