Information and resources about Family Issues for Veterans and Military personnel in Pennsylvania.
Click on a resource category listed below to see information related to that category.
DoD Safe Helpline
DoD Safe Helpline is the sole secure, confidential, and anonymous crisis support service specially designed for members of the Department of Defense community affected by sexual assault. All Safe Helpline services are: anonymous, confidential, and tailored to support members of the DoD community and their loved ones affected by sexual assault.
Are You a Veteran Needing Help With a Legal Question? - ABA Free Legal Answers
Information from the American Bar Association Military and Veterans Legal Center about Federal ABA Free Legal Answers, a website where you can submit your questions about civil legal issues pertaining to veterans, including VA benefits, discharge upgrades, and similar veterans’ legal issues, and receive answers from pro bono lawyers.
Benefits.gov
Benefits.gov is the official benefits website of the U.S. government whose mission is to increase citizen access to benefit information, while reducing the expense and difficulty of interacting with the government. It is a free, online confidential tool that helps you find government benefits you may be eligible to receive. Use the benefit finder tool or search by category to learn which benefits you and your family may be eligible for and learn how to apply for what you qualify for.
Stateside Legal
Stateside Legal is a national resource for members of the military, veterans, their families and advocates. It goal is to help you access benefits, find free legal help, and better understand your legal issues. This site indexes the best legal information available in one easy-to-use website that includes interactive forms, videos, and legal analysis.
Veterans Legal Help Navigator
This online tool from Stateside Legal helps veterans' caseworkers and advocates across the country find the right fit legal help for veterans. The Navigator will ask a series of questions about the veteran's income, household size, location and legal issue. Using this information, it will provide the right fit legal help for the veteran. The Navigator will also suggest resources to learn about the veteran’s legal issue and self-help materials for the veteran.
Federal Court Finder
Find a federal court location by location or court name, including appellate, district, bankruptcy, probation and pretrial office, or federal defender organization. Each District Court has its own local forms which are generally available on the Court website.
A Handbook for Military Families: Helping You with Child Support
As a service member, or spouse or former spouse of one, you have unique child support needs. All branches of the armed forces offer parenting programs and resources to strengthen military families. This handbook (PDF) supplements those resources by providing information you might need regarding paternity establishment, child support, access/visitation, and child custody. First line supervisors and military commanders may also find this handbook a handy addition to a leadership toolkit.
Child Support and Alimony - How to Start Child Support or Alimony Payments
Federal law authorizes the pay of active, reserve, and retired members of the military and the pay of civilian employees of the Federal government to be garnished (or attached) for the payment of child and/or spousal support. This provides information about the process and location for getting a garnishment or wage attachment against any member of the military or any civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DOD).
Child Support and Alimony - Questions and Answers
Questions and answers about the collection of child support and alimony from military personnel from the Defense Finance and Accounting Services.
Garnishment Law Directorate
This page from the U.S. Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) lists resources and sources of information regarding garnishment of military wages. The DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate is a consolidated court order processing operation for all of DoD and ePayroll civilian populations paid by DFAS. The mission of this office is to process all court orders served on DFAS and its customers. These orders can be for child support, alimony, commercial debt, divisions of military retired pay, former spouse survivor benefit deemed elections, chapter 7 and chapter 13 personal bankruptcy. This office is the authorized agent for receipt of service of process for these court orders.
Survivors Benefits Plan (Department of Defense)
Information from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which provides payment services for the U.S. Department of Defense, about the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) provides financial support to military spouses and/or children when a military member dies while on duty or after retirement. SBP provides eligible beneficiaries with a monthly payment known as an annuity. The amount of the SBP benefit is a percentage of retired pay. The percentage depends upon whether the member chooses full or reduced coverage at the time of election (generally at retirement or at 20-year qualification). SBP provides up to 55 percent of a service member's retired pay to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the member. After the service member passes away, the SBP annuity is paid out monthly to the surviving spouse, or to the child or children of the member.
Uniformed Services Former Spouse's Protection Act - Frequently Asked Questions
Information from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service on the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act which recognizes the right of state courts to distribute military retired pay to a spouse or former spouse and provides a method of enforcing these orders through the Department of Defense. The Act also provides a method of enforcing current child support and/or arrears and current alimony awarded in the court order.
A Handbook for Military Families: Helping You with Child Support
As a service member, or spouse or former spouse of one, you have unique child support needs. All branches of the armed forces offer parenting programs and resources to strengthen military families. This handbook (PDF) supplements those resources by providing information you might need regarding paternity establishment, child support, access/visitation, and child custody. First line supervisors and military commanders may also find this handbook a handy addition to a leadership toolkit.
Child Support and Alimony - How to Start Child Support or Alimony Payments
Federal law authorizes the pay of active, reserve, and retired members of the military and the pay of civilian employees of the Federal government to be garnished (or attached) for the payment of child and/or spousal support. This provides information about the process and location for getting a garnishment or wage attachment against any member of the military or any civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DOD).
Child Support and Alimony - Questions and Answers
Questions and answers about the collection of child support and alimony from military personnel from the Defense Finance and Accounting Services.
Disability Compensation
Information from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on Disability Compensation, which is a tax free monetary benefit paid to Veterans with disabilities that are the result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. Compensation may also be paid for post-service disabilities that are considered related or secondary to disabilities occurring in service and for disabilities presumed to be related to circumstances of military service, even though they may arise after service.
DoD Safe Helpline
DoD Safe Helpline is the sole secure, confidential, and anonymous crisis support service specially designed for members of the Department of Defense community affected by sexual assault. All Safe Helpline services are: anonymous, confidential, and tailored to support members of the DoD community and their loved ones affected by sexual assault.
Garnishment Law Directorate
This page from the U.S. Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) lists resources and sources of information regarding garnishment of military wages. The DFAS Garnishment Law Directorate is a consolidated court order processing operation for all of DoD and ePayroll civilian populations paid by DFAS. The mission of this office is to process all court orders served on DFAS and its customers. These orders can be for child support, alimony, commercial debt, divisions of military retired pay, former spouse survivor benefit deemed elections, chapter 7 and chapter 13 personal bankruptcy. This office is the authorized agent for receipt of service of process for these court orders.
Life Insurance
Information from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on insurance programs that were developed to provide insurance benefits for veterans and service members who may not be able to get insurance from private companies because of the extra risks involved in military service, or a service connected disability.
Malmstrom Air Force Base Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program
Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and Victim Advocates are available at all Air Force installations to assist victims and survivors of sexual assault. Malmstrom Air Force Base's SARC serves as the single point of contact for integrating and coordinating care for sexual assault victims on base 24/7, 365 days a year. The Malmstrom Air Force Base Victims' Counsel assists eligible victims through most criminal and civil legal matters relating to a reported sexual assault, whether restricted or unrestricted. The SAPR Program reinforces the Air Force's commitment to eliminate incidents of sexual assault through awareness and prevention training, education, victim advocacy, response, reporting and accountability. Help is just a phone call away: If you have been sexually assaulted, please call the SAPR contacts listed.
Military Retired and Annuitant Pay
Information from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service about Retired and Annuitant Pay. Retired and Annuitant (R&A) Pay is part of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), an agency under the Department of Defense. It is a payment agency. R&A Pay establishes, maintains and pays military retirees and their eligible surviving spouses and other family members.
PA Courts Public Access Policy - Filing Requirements in the Courts (Video)
Effective on January 6, 2018, a new Public Access Policy is in effect in Pennsylvania Courts. This policy imposes requirements on anyone filing court documents in the trial and appellate courts to safeguard information in the documents they file. The Pennsylvania Courts have released a series of videos that explain the judiciary’s new policy for protecting confidential information and the required steps you must take to protect that information when filing documents in the courts. This video provides an overview of the new requirements. Follow the link to view the entire series of videos.
Survivors Benefits Plan (Department of Defense)
Information from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which provides payment services for the U.S. Department of Defense, about the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) provides financial support to military spouses and/or children when a military member dies while on duty or after retirement. SBP provides eligible beneficiaries with a monthly payment known as an annuity. The amount of the SBP benefit is a percentage of retired pay. The percentage depends upon whether the member chooses full or reduced coverage at the time of election (generally at retirement or at 20-year qualification). SBP provides up to 55 percent of a service member's retired pay to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the member. After the service member passes away, the SBP annuity is paid out monthly to the surviving spouse, or to the child or children of the member.
Uniformed Services Former Spouse's Protection Act - Frequently Asked Questions
Information from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service on the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act which recognizes the right of state courts to distribute military retired pay to a spouse or former spouse and provides a method of enforcing these orders through the Department of Defense. The Act also provides a method of enforcing current child support and/or arrears and current alimony awarded in the court order.
Child Care Aware - Fee Assistance / Respite
Child Care Aware® of America is proud to partner with the United States Military and Department of Defense to serve and support their families through the Fee Assistance and Respite Child Care Programs. Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) is the only national organization that supports every part of the child care system. Together with an on-the-ground network of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) organizations working in states and communities, CCAoA advances high-quality, affordable child care and turns a patchwork of resources into a system that works for everyone.
Child Care Aware of America: Military Child Care Programs - Serving the Families Who Serve Our Country
Resources from Child Care Aware of America to help those who serve in the military find and afford child care that suits their unique needs. Child Care Aware® of America serves more than 10,000 military children every year. Select your branch of service on this page for more information on eligible programs and assistance.
Scholarships for Military Children
Information on the Scholarships for Military Children Program that was created to recognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community.
Filing your Appeal for Veterans Benefits to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Information on filing an appeal of a decision of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program provides free attorneys to veterans and their qualifying family members who have an appeal pending at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court). If an appellant has filed an appeal with the Court and has been unable to obtain his or her own attorney he or she can request assistance from the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program.