(Columbia, MD) In 2012, Maryland officially legalized same sex marriage. However, because same sex marriage was not legal across the United States, same sex divorce often proved to be extremely complicated and difficult. Certain states refused to honor divorce decrees for same sex couples, which often caused great difficulty when enforcing the terms of child custody,…
Maryland is currently dealing with an issue that some may not be aware of: Shared parenting during and after divorce. While some people believe that shared parenting shouldn’t be the status quo, others hold the opinion that it is the best arrangement for children. In a recent editorial, Dr. Neil Holstein weighed in with his…
A new bill making its way through the Maryland legislature may make it easier for children whose parents have divorced to seek higher education. In the new bill, the age of majority for certain children of divorce would be raised from 18 to 23. The bill is sponsored by Terri Hill, a Democratic Maryland delegate…
Records indicate that close to 40 percent of the people who have been ordered to pay child support in Washington D.C. are behind in those payments. Once a person falls behind, it can be difficult to catch up. The District knows this, and the attorney general offered amnesty to those who need to get back…
In a perfect world, those ordered to pay child support would make timely payments without issue. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen, despite a judge’s orders. In the state of Maryland, one county has reached a 92 percent collection rate when it comes to back child support. According to the assistant director of child support in…
In recent years, it has become a trend to see frequent child support modification requests filed. Sometimes, these requests truly are driven by a belief that the financial circumstances of one, or both, of the parties have changed. However, the unfortunate truth is that, perhaps even more frequently, the true motivator is ongoing animosity between…
The Impact of Rising Health Insurance Costs on Child Support For most people, health insurance is a significant expense. For some people, including many separated/divorced families already struggling to maintain the expenses of two households, health insurance payments can be financially crippling. So, what happens to child support in the event that this large expense becomes even larger?…
Separation and divorce is very difficult – financially and emotionally for everyone involved – spouses, children, extended family members and friends. The sense of “loss” can be profound. Feelings of grief, helplessness, vulnerability, financial devastation and lack of control are very typical. The process is generally among the most difficult challenges a person encounters during…