Belleville & Edwardsville Divorce & Family Law Blog by Stange Law Firm, PC

When people get divorced in Missouri, they often assume that most ties between themselves and their former spouse have been severed. What divorced individuals may not understand, however, is that they may still be able to collect Social Security benefits on the income of their former spouse.

Spousal benefits are an important part of the Social Security system. Individuals who are married are able to receive a certain level of retirement benefits depending on their own work record as well as the work record of their spouse. In situations where a marriage has lasted for 10 years or more, both spouses may remain eligible for benefits providing that they meet three different requirements.

Missouri parents can generally learn how to work together to raise their children after their marriage ends. There are many signs that indicate that a parenting plan is working well such as the presence of clear boundaries. In other words, parents understand that they can't control what their former spouse does. Instead, they will focus on teaching a child to work through adversity or how to solve problems in a positive manner.

Those who are raising children with a former spouse will ideally have a set schedule with predetermined meeting times and places. However, it is also important that they are able to accommodate each other's needs whenever possible. Parental units who have a healthy relationship are more likely to communicate those needs and speak up in a timely manner when changes need to be made.

When people in Missouri decide to divorce later in life, they may face unique concerns and challenges. In the past, older Americans often stayed married. In many cases, they were already married for decades and had remained together for the children. Life expectancy was often lower and many people struggled with health problems. As Americans grow older and live longer, healthier lives, they often want to enjoy romantic fulfillment later in life as well. In addition, some older couples are on a second or later marriage, rather than being part of a decades-long partnership with children. These changes have meant that "gray divorce," meaning divorce between two older Americans, is on the rise.

Since 1990, the rate of gray divorce has more than doubled, even while younger Americans are less likely to divorce than they were previously. The social stigma around divorce has been largely eradicated. However, financial concerns may trouble some older people who decide to end their marriages. These concerns are particularly significant for people who are ending a lengthy partnership. For people of any age who are ending a relatively short marriage, divorce comes with fewer costs. When a decades-long marriage comes to an end, however, spousal support may be a factor.

Family law judges in Missouri and around the country place the welfare of any children involved above all other considerations in a divorce situation, which is why they take petitions filed by divorced parents who claim that their children are in danger very seriously. However, it is not unknown for people who harbor lingering resentment toward their former husbands or wives to make baseless allegations of emotional, physical or even sexual abuse.

This is why courts generally conduct thorough investigations into abuse claims before modifying child custody or visitation arrangements. During these investigations, officers from the Department of Social Services may interview family members, neighbors and teachers to determine the veracity of the claims. While the investigation is ongoing, judges may order supervised visitation based on the best interests doctrine. When custodial parents are accused of abuse, the children involved may be temporarily placed in a care facility.