Question:
Hi Jim, My ex husband entered the Army the summer of 1981. We got married Dec. 1981 and divorced Feb 2001. In 1995 there was a sniper shooting on Fort Bragg, NC and he got shot, becoming a quadriplegic. I took care of him for 6 yrs just to end on a divorce. I walked out of there with no benefits, with nothing. Now I'm close to retirement and wondering if there is anything that will provide me some kind of assistance like a military ID that will allow me medical services. I'm not pursuing to get any monetary help out of the deal but if I'm entitled to it I'll take. After all I was in the military with him as his spouse his entire military career and took care of him for 6 years after the accident.
Jim's Reply:
As a rule, once you're no longer a dependent because of divorce, there are no further benefits available to you. Benefits like CHAMPVA health care insurance are only available to immediate dependents of 100% disabled veterans...former dependents don't have any path to those benefits. Any post-marriage benefits like alimony and property divisions should have been made at the time of divorce and modifying any of that means a trip back to court.