§ 19.9-3 — Computation and payment of pension to former spouse.

22 CFR § 19.9-3

• Title: Title 22: Foreign Relations
• Part: Part 19: Benefits for Spouses and Former Spouses of Participants in the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System
• Source: eCFR (current through Apr 3, 2026)

Text

§ 19.9-3 Computation and payment of pension to former spouse.

(a) A pension to a former spouse is paid monthly on the same date that annuity is paid to the principal.

(b) No spousal agreement or court order may provide for a pension or any combination of pensions to former spouses of any one principal which exceeds the net annuity of the principal as defined in § 19.6-2(b).

(c) A pension to a former spouse not fixed by a spousal agreement or court order shall equal the former spouse's pro rata share of 50 percent of the annuity to which the principal is entitled on the date the divorce becomes final, or, if not then entitled to an annuity, 50 percent of the annuity to which the principal first becomes entitled following that date. A pension to a former spouse of a disability annuitant shall be calculated on the basis of an annuity for which the participant would qualify if not disabled. A pension to a former spouse will be increased by the same percentage of each cost-of-living adjustment received by the principal.

(d) The Department will initiate payment of a pension to a former spouse after complying with the notification and other procedures described in § 19.6.

(e) If a pension can not be paid because a former spouse is missing, the principal may file an affidavit with PER/ER/RET that he/she does not know the whereabouts of the former spouse. In such an event, the principal and the Department will follow the procedures in § 19.11-4 in an effort to locate the former spouse. The annuity of the principal will be reduced by the amount of the pension to the former spouse even though the latter is not being paid. If the former spouse has not been located during the 12-month period following the date the principal files an affidavit under this section, the annuity of the principal will be recomputed effective from its commencing date (or on the date following the last month a pension payment was made to the former spouse) and paid without reduction of the amount of pension to the former spouse. If the former spouse subsequently is located, pension payments to him/her will be initiated at that time at the rate that would have been payable had they been paid continuously from the original effective date. The Department shall not be liable to make any pension payments to the former spouse for the missing period if the procedures under this section were faithfully complied with nor will the Department be responsible for recovering any payments made to the principal for the benefit of the former spouse.