When civilian and military parents go through a divorce, they often have questions about how to handle matters of custody. After all, what happens when the military parent faces deployment? How do parents handle this situation?
Fortunately, more laws these days address the specific issues unique to divorced military parents, providing more support and solutions than ever before.
Dealing with deployment
As the National Conference of State Legislatures points out, many parents must navigate co-parenting from long distances. Not all of them must do this due to military status, with some having to move away to support aging or sickly family members and others following job opportunities.
Military parents face a unique issue in that deployment often comes suddenly, without much time for the parent to prepare. For this reason, acts supporting divorced military parents often allow for a provision that lets parents work out temporary custody and visitation changes out-of-court. This means less time in court and the ability to get changes made in a very short amount of time, which fits a tight military schedule well.
Keeping parental rights protected
These acts also allow for protections of military parents, too. Many have a fear that something will happen behind their back while deployed, such as their co-parent getting full custody of their child. Certain acts, like the Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act (UDPCVA), have stipulations that disallow the non-military parent from making any permanent custody or visitation changes without the approval of their deployed co-parent.
In this way, acts help protect the rights of military parents and allow for smoother co-parenting even when deployment gets involved.