Question:

My spouse is a totally disabled veteran.   He left me and now we are only separated, not divorced. He left me without any means of finance, causing me to have no home or transportation. Can I get spousal support and benefits? And how do I go about getting them?

Jim's Reply:

You have to file for divorce. There doesn't seem to be any other way if your spouse isn't cooperative. You can either hire a divorce lawyer or you can go see the clerk of court at the family court in your community and ask if you can file the divorce action on your own. Many family courts will allow you to file a divorce action without an attorney and for minimal filing fees. Once you do that, the spouse has no choice but to respond to the orders of the court. Unless and until you file for divorce, it's very unlikely anyone will be able to help you. Once you file for divorce the court will take over most actions and you can go from there. His disability benefits are not protected from divorce but you have to file or nothing happens.