Northern Virginia Family Law Blog

Divorce can bring about big changes in how Virginia parents deal with one another. Adjusting to co-parenting is challenging at any time of year, but the summer can come with specific difficulties. During the school year, the routine provided by the academic schedule can help children to feel insulated from some of the changes that accompany divorce. Summertime is often much less scheduled, and summer plans may differ greatly between the parents' homes. However, positive co-parenting can help children and parents to adjust to summer co-parenting successfully.

It can be important for parents to communicate with each other about their plans for the summer, especially when working to co-parent together after divorce. The earlier that one parent can communicate with the other about upcoming vacations and other ideas for the child's summer, the more time that both households have to adjust. A shared online calendar or a posted visual calendar in both homes can be particularly important in making sure that plans are not forgotten or scheduled against one another.

For people in Virginia who decide to divorce, the financial implications can be more complicated even than the emotional and practical aspects of the end of a marriage. One of the more unexpected issues that people may need to deal with include changes to the family's insurance coverage. There are a number of types of insurance that can be affected by a divorce, but health and life insurance are the most prominent. In many cases, one spouse is covered under the other's health insurance obtained at work.

After a divorce, the former spouse will be removed from that spouse's health insurance, leaving him or her in need of new insurance coverage. COBRA provides a three-year span to continue to carry a spouse's coverage, but better options may be available through the exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act or through the other spouse's employer. A divorce is a triggering life event that allows people to sign up for health insurance at any time of year. It is important to act quickly on this issue because unexpected consequences could ensue if the former spouse becomes ill shortly after the divorce while insurance is in transition.