Opinion ID: 2549122
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: USFSPA Jurisdiction.

Text: The USFSPA's jurisdictional requirement is found in 10 U.S.C. § 1408(c)(4). This is another killer requirement. If it is not met, the former spouse's application for retired pay as property payments under the USFSPA will be rejected. For a court to have the authority to divide military retired pay, the USFSPA requires that the court have C-4 jurisdiction over the military member in one of three ways. One way is for the member to consent to the jurisdiction of the court. The member indicates his or her consent to the court's jurisdiction by taking some affirmative action with regard to the legal proceeding, such as filing any responsive pleading in the case. Simply receiving notice of filing of the divorce complaint or petition is not sufficient. Consent is the most common way for a court to have C-4 jurisdiction over a member. The other ways for the court to have C-4 jurisdiction is for the member to be a resident of the State other than because of his or her military assignment, or for the court to find that the member was domiciled in the particular State. Now, the key with regard to domicile is that it should be the court making this determination, and it should be noted in the divorce decree.