Austin Texas Family Law Blog

Research shows that the divorce rate is decreasing throughout the United States, including Texas. However, divorce is still inevitable in many situations and for a variety of reasons. Here is a glimpse at a couple of factors that, according to researchers, are contributing to divorce today: inadequate premarital education and differences in religion.

A lack of premarital education combined with religious differences have been shown to contribute to more than 13 percent of divorces. In a recent survey, the couples who participated in a program aimed at teaching them conflict and resolution and communication skills felt that the training still was not adequate. Specifically, one couple mentioned that although premarital counseling does teach couples how to deal with conflict, it does not discuss the various phases that married people experience over time.

Getting a divorce can be a complex process, especially for a military family. It is important to remember that military divorces are not necessarily harder to get than regular divorces. They just require a couple to take more legal issues into consideration.

One of the biggest issues in military divorces involves “jurisdiction.” Jurisdiction means that a court must have the legal authority to grant a divorce between you and your spouse. One of the main requirements of jurisdiction involves where a spouse files for a divorce.

The New Year may elicit feelings of both excitement and apprehension for individuals in Texas. This may be especially true for someone who is navigating the divorce process during this holiday. Fortunately, these types of individuals can take some steps to keep the start of 2019 as enjoyable as possible in spite of their divorce situations.

First, those going through the dissolution of a marriage may benefit from being intentional about how they plan to spend the New Year. For instance, the parents of minor children can plan activities to do with the children, which can help them to create meaningful experiences together. Those who do not have children can get caught up on special projects they have not had time to do for a while, or they may take some time to rest.

Dissolving a marital union in Texas can present challenges for people of all ages. However, those over the age of 50 face special challenges that their younger counterparts simply do not encounter following divorce. A couple of these challenges involve health insurance and long-term care.

Regarding health insurance, those who had insurance through their spouses' employers while they were married can maintain this insurance through COBRA. The coverage can last up to 36 months. However, the premiums will increase since they have to pay the portions of the premiums that their employers were previously paying. If newly divorced individuals cannot take advantage of COBRA, they have no choice but to look for their own insurance. Unfortunately, they may have a hard time securing insurance at their age if they have pre-existing health issues.