Northern Virginia has one of the highest concentrations of federal civil service and military employees in the United States. The Commonwealth of Virginia and localities also employ over 100,000 workers as well. Federal, state, local employees have retirement systems that require experience and a great degree of experience to navigate successfully through a divorce. In divorce generally, the division of assets general includes government benefits which can have unique aspects compared to private sector employment.
Different levels of government and even different agencies have different retirement plans, life insurance benefits and other sorts of benefits, and each of these has different implications that need to be considered during a divorce. It is extremely important that you have the counsel of an attorney who is exceptionally experienced with dealing with government benefit issues as part of divorce.
AV Preeminent* Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, The Best Lawyers in America, Virginia Super Lawyers, Recognized by Washingtonian Magazine
At Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy, our Fairfax government employee divorce attorneys have been serving clients in Northern Virginia for over three decades. During that time, we have developed a superior level of skill in divorce and family law, and especially in those divorces that involve government retirement and other benefits.
Federal Employee Divorce
The retirement benefits of federal employees are generally administered under one of two plans: CSRS and FERS. Different agencies such as the CIA even have their own retirement plans. Other agencies such as the SEC or Comptroller of the Currency even have their own pay scales. We understand the need to balance a large number of factors when considering dividing such assets, including tax implications and the impact that any division will have on other governmental benefits such as Social Security.
State and Local Employees, Virginia Retirement Systems (VRS)
Our firm is also skilled in helping state and local employees and their spouses create effective divisions of those assets, including the 457 deferred compensation plans, the 401(a) cash match plan and other local retirement plans.
Quasi-Governmental Agencies
International organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have retirement plans and benefits packages that have their own special concerns such as tax issues.
Contact the Federal Worker Separation Attorneys of Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy
If you are facing divorce and you are concerned about how the issue of government retirement and benefits will be handled, turn to the experienced government employee divorce lawyers of Surovell Isaacs Petersen & Levy. To schedule an initial consultation, call 703-648-8279 or simply contact us online.
*AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories: legal ability and general ethical standards.
