According to CBS News, approximately 30% of payments are not being paid at all and less than half are paid in full. This has created a nation-wide child support deficit of $10 billion.

If you’re owed child support, it can be difficult to figure out what you can do to remedy the situation. And, with so many parents in a similar situation, you may wonder if it’s even worth it. It is! The truth is, you can do a handful of different things to get your ex to start paying what they owe.

The ending of a marriage is always a challenging time. But when you are also struggling with a chronic illness, it’s even more complicated. How can you successfully navigate your divorce while maintaining your health as much as possible? Here are five key ways.

Your divorce attorney is going to be a key part of your divorce team, so start out by being honest with them about your health and emotional issues. Let the legal team know what your symptoms are, what treatment you are currently going through, how your energy or daily activities are affected, and how it may impact your ability to meet certain obligations (like meetings about your case).

By being open with your lawyer, he or she can also help you identify ways that your health should impact your divorce claim and ways that you can make the actual legal process easier on your body.

When you are married, making medical decisions for a minor child can be rather straightforward. But when you are divorced, the medical decisions that are made for your child can become a point of contention and can even lead to a change in custody.

Sole Legal Custody

When the courts award sole legal custody, only one parent has custody of the minor. When one parent does not have custody, he or she still has the right to be told about the medical decisions that the other parent makes on behalf of the child.

Divorce is never easy, but it can be especially difficult to navigate when children are involved. Do you anticipate a rough child custody fight in your future? If so, you’ll want to make sure you go in prepared for any contingency. Here are some tips to keep in mind to get through this difficult process.

Make Sure You Attempt a Settlement If Possible

When going through a divorce with children involved, you need to put your kids ahead of your own personal emotions. You might be angry at the other side, but your personal vendetta won’t improve your children’s situation.

If you can keep the worst of the custody battle out of court, you owe it to your kids to do so. Reach out to the other side to at least see if they are willing to sit down with you and talk it out. You don’t have to like your spouse, but you do have to view them as the father or mother of your children and someone who might be a part of your life for years to come.

Suppose your parenting plan has been working fine—but now your ex-spouse has a significant other. How can you manage the interactions that your child has with this partner that you may never have met?

Parenting plans are important because they contain a multitude of provisions regarding child-rearing. This includes the amount of time that a child should have with a parent’s boyfriends or girlfriends. Read on to learn what you need to know.

A move to a new state can seem like the perfect way to restart life after divorce. Unfortunately, if joint custody was part of the divorce agreement it can complicate matters. If you do not have the approval of the other parent when you move away with a child you can face legal repercussions that include the loss of custody.

Prepare During Divorce

The easiest way to handle a long-distance move is to negotiate some type of agreement during the divorce. Include how many miles away either parent can move without consent from the ex-spouse, how shared custody will take place after a move, and how much notice to provide before the relocation occurs.

When you get a divorce, you could have to go through the discovery process. The goal of discovery is to provide you with the evidence you need to prove part of your case. Through discovery, you can ask for special information from your spouse and others during your divorce. One common use of discovery is to obtain financial and asset records.

For some, the discovery process can feel invasive and frustrating. However, fully understanding how discovery works can help you get through it more easily. Here are some things you should know about discovery during a divorce.

New Mexico has officially recognized same-sex marriage since 2013 with the passage of a Supreme Court ruling. This means that same-sex divorce is also legal.

If you are considering divorce in an LGBT relationship, you may find that it comes with some complications. This guide will help you sort through some of those complications.

Why Has LGBT Divorce Been So Complicated?

Fortunately, in 2015, the Supreme Court ruled to make LGBT marriage legal in all states, which makes divorce less complicated than it had been before. In the days before nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage, LGBT spouses often had destination weddings in places where they could legally marry.

When parents divorce, their top priority should be co-parenting their children with success. Although divorce is difficult on you and your former spouse, you still have to come together and create a healthy co-parenting atmosphere for the health and well-being of your children. The following are some tips you as co-parents can consider when moving forward.

Figure Out a Healthy Communication Mechanism

For many couples who divorce, communication can be difficult. When all is said and done, you both have to move past any difficult feelings and communicate effectively where your children are concerned.

Children are not just spectators during a divorce. The separation is a life-changing experience for a child. The process can cause fear, anger, and guilt. Parents must remember that their own pain cannot take priority over parental responsibilities. The choices they make and how they involve the children in the divorce can determine the emotional well-being of their child.

What They Need

Consistency and safety are the concerns of most children. Kids want to know they will still have their parents, grandparents, and friends. Most will worry about where they will live, if they can keep their things, and what will happen with family pets. Parents need to answer as honestly as they can without empty promises or dire predictions.