Legal Question in Family Law in Washington

Re: Merchant Mariner Retirement

I can tell you that Federal law "overrides" State law under the Supremacy Clause. As to the specifics of your retirement and how the State divided it, I would have to see the decree and a copy of the documentation of how the specific retirement system works. Has a QDRO been prepared? That is the usual way to document the distribution of a retirement, and I would expect the agency would reject a QDRO that did not conform to laws and regulations that control it. Another question I would have is, was the issue of Federal law on Merchant Marine retirements argued to the judge? If you want to appeal this decision you have limited time to do that, you may also have a basis for vacating the decree. For the size of the asset you may be dealing with here, you need to consult an attorney and provide him/her with the details of this situation.