Military Spouse Divorce/Separation Survey Questionnaire

Military Spouse Divorce/Separation Survey Questionnaire

The DOD does not collect data on military divorce/separation or the impact of military marriages ending on servicemembers or families. This survey, prepared by the Silent Ranks Advocacy Alliance of military family spouse-advocates, seeks to collect current data on the impact of military divorce on servicemembers, spouses, and families. By default, all responses are ANONYMOUS. You choose how much information you feel comfortable sharing. UNLESS YOU OPT IN to give your permission at the end, no potentially identifying details or specifics of your situation will be shared. All data will be aggregated to demonstrate trends and issues facing military families going through divorce or separation. THIS SURVEY IS NOT FUNDED BY, AUTHORED BY, OR AFFILIATED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OR ANY US MILITARY SERVICES.
SILENT RANKS ADVOCACY ALLIANCE

Holding military systems and servicemembers to the standard of honor in and out of uniform, by breaking our silence and sharing the truth. Service | Safety | Accountability | Protection
Who is behind this survey?

Silent Ranks Advocacy Alliance: We are a grassroots collective of military spouses and former military spouses who believe that the end of a military marriage should not result in punishment for the families. We understand the fear of retaliation and reprisals, the devastation of giving up your entire life to support a military servicemember's career only to have your whole life ripped away from you. We understand that this impacts everything: housing, healthcare, children, custody, financial security in the present and the future; not to mention the devastating toll on the physical, emotional, and mental health of a military spouse who trusted in their partner. Because we are living this from the inside, we understand better than anyone the tremendous risks involved in reporting servicemember misconduct such as substance abuse, mental health crises, domestic abuse, infidelity, and ethical violations. The DOD has designed a system that blames the family for staying in a situation where they are victims of abuse, then punishes the families for a servicemember's wrongdoing. Our goal with this survey is threefold: 1. PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE PRIVACY AND SAFETY OF MILITARY SPOUSES. This survey is completely anonymous. You do not have to give your name, email, or any identifying data. All questions are optional. You can share your story if you feel like it will help us demonstrate the devastating impact of the current breaks in the system on military spouses. Or you can simply answer the checkbox questions. You can skip any questions you do not wish to answer. 2. Collect data on how widespread the problems are, what parts of the system are working, and where the gaps are to protect military spouses and families. 3. Present this data to lawmakers and policymakers to demonstrate what can be done to CLOSE THE GAPS and protect military spouses and children, while shifting the negative consequences of misconduct to the servicemember who committed it. Questions? Contact us at silentranksaa@gmail.com
Demographics

Please share your demographic data. All data will be shared in combined statistics. No specific or identifying details will be shared unless you OPT IN at the end of this survey to allow it.
Age
Length of marriage
Years of military service - YOU
Years of military service - Your Spouse
Years of federal civilian service - YOU
Years of federal civilian service - Your Spouse
Race - please select all that apply

Other
Gender - please select all that apply

Other
Spouse's Gender - please select all that apply

Other
Status (please check all that apply to YOU, the individual filling out the survey)

Other
If you are not a U.S. citizen, what is your status? THIS DATA WILL BE KEPT COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS AND ONLY USED IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER ANSWERS TO SHOW HOW MANY SPOUSES ARE AFFECTED.
If your spouse is not a U.S. citizen, what is their status? THIS DATA WILL BE KEPT COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS AND ONLY USED IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER ANSWERS TO SHOW HOW MANY SPOUSES ARE AFFECTED.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, did you face any of the following during your separation/divorce:

Other
Please select the rank that applies to YOU (if not applicable, please select NOT APPLICABLE)
Please select the Service Branch affiliation that applies to YOU
Please select the rank that applies to YOUR SPOUSE (if not applicable, please select NOT APPLICABLE)
Please select the Service Branch affiliation that applies to your spouse
Any unusual circumstances regarding military/federal employment for you OR your spouse? (i.e. Reserve/National Guard AND federal employee?)
Geographic location at time of separation or START of divorce process
Your employment status at the time of separation or START of divorce process. Please select all that apply.
At the time of separation or the START of your divorce process, were you an unemployed or underemployed spouse due to your servicemember's career?
Your SPOUSE'S employment status at the time of separation or START of divorce process.
At the time of separation or the START of your divorce process, was your SPOUSE an unemployed or underemployed spouse due to your military career?

Other
Combined annual household income at the time of separation or START of your divorce process (including all allowances and special pays such as BAH, BAS, COLA, OHA, VSP, or career incentive or retention bonuses)
Number of military/federal career required deployments, TDYs, training exercises, mandatory military education courses, geobaching, unaccompanied tours, missions, and any other military or DOD-ordered duties for longer than 48 hours prior to the START of your divorce process:
Divorce/Separation Information

All questions are optional, please share as much information as you feel comfortable sharing. NO personal information or identifying details will be shared unless you OPT IN at the end of this survey. Information shared in this section will be presented to legislators and policymakers to demonstrate the realities of military divorce/separation.
What is your status in the marriage

Other
Causes of Divorce (please check all that apply)
How long did you consider ending your marriage before filing for separation/divorce?
If you waited longer than 6 months to file for separation/divorce, why did you wait? Please select all that apply.

Other
If your spouse initiated separation/divorce, did you know they planned to do so?

Other
Where did you or your spouse file for separation/divorce?

Other
Were you stationed overseas on SOFA status at the time your separation/divorce began?
Did you FEAR any retribution, retaliation, or negative impact from military or DOD agencies, units, or social/community support when your marriage ended?

Other
Did you EXPERIENCE any retribution, retaliation, or negative impact from military or DOD agencies, units, or social/community support when your marriage ended?

Did the servicemember or DOD employed spouse engage in any misconduct that violated applicable rules, regulations, policies, UCMJ and/or federal laws? (Examples: fraud, waste, and abuse of government resources; espionage; insider information; ethical violations; etc)?

Rows	Yes	No	I'm not sure
Fraud, waste, abuse of government resources
Insider information abuse
Espionage
Federal ethics violations
Weapons or safety violations
Misuse of rank or position
Criminal charges (include DUI or other substance abuse-related charges)
Other

If you are the spouse of a servicemember or DOD employee who engaged in misconduct, did you report the misconduct to any authorities?

Other
Why or why not did you decide to report the misconduct?
Did the servicemember or DOD employed spouse face any accountability for any MISCONDUCT that violated applicable rules, regulations, policies, UCMJ and/or federal laws? (Examples: fraud, waste, and abuse of government resources; espionage; insider information; ethical violations; etc)?
If the servicemember or employee was not held accountable, did you personally experience any negative consequences (loss of housing, benefits, custody standing, reputation, financial stability, or career/employment impact) connected to their actions or to your reporting of them?
Did you REFRAIN from seeking any assistance throughout the divorce process due to fears of negative repercussions on the military servicemember's career, pay, benefits, or pension? Please select all that apply

Other

Did you seek assistance, support, or resources from any of the following agencies? How were your requests for assistance handled? Please check all that apply

Rows	No Response	Attempted contact, withdrew out of fear of harm or negative consequences from reporting	Dismissed My Concerns	Opened an Investigation	Provided Final Report	Provided Protection or Resources	Made Situation Worse	Retaliated Against Me for Reporting	Did Not Contact	Do not know what this is
Military Family Life Consultants
Military OneSource
Chaplains
Family Advocacy Program
Civilian support organizations (shelters, food assistance, nonprofit organizations, etc)
Other

Did you seek assistance, support, or resources from any of the following agencies? How were your requests for assistance handled? Please check all that apply

Rows	No Response	Attempted contact, withdrew out of fear of harm or negative consequences from reporting	Dismissed My Concerns	Opened an Investigation	Provided Final Report	Provided Protection or Resources	Made Situation Worse	Retaliated Against Me for Reporting	Did Not Contact	Do not know what this is
Military Treatment Facility (healthcare and/or behavioral healthcare)
Civilian healthcare and/or behavioral healthcare including couples' counseling
Extended family (parents, in-laws, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc)
Friends
Community affiliations, including faith-based groups
Other

Did you seek assistance, support, or resources from any of the following agencies? How were your requests for assistance handled? Please check all that apply

Rows	No Response	Attempted contact, withdrew out of fear of harm or negative consequences from reporting	Dismissed My Concerns	Opened an Investigation	Provided Final Report	Provided Protection or Resources	Made Situation Worse	Retaliated Against Me for Reporting	Did Not Contact	Do not know what this is
JAG/Legal support
Military Law Enforcement (SPs, MPs, CID, OSI, etc)
Restricted domestic violence report
Unrestricted domestic violence report
Civilian Law Enforcement (police, sheriff, FBI, etc)
Civilian Family Law (family court, child protective services, department of children and family services, social services, etc)
Other

Did you seek assistance, support, or resources from any of the following agencies? How were your requests for assistance handled? Please check all that apply

Rows	No Response	Attempted contact, withdrew out of fear of harm or negative consequences from reporting	Dismissed My Concerns	Opened an Investigation	Provided Final Report	Provided Protection or Resources	Made Situation Worse	Retaliated Against Me for Reporting	Did Not Contact	Do not know what this is
Military Chain of Command (Shirt, 1SG, NCOIC, ExO, OIC, Commander)
Civilian supervisory chain of command
Inspector General
Senator/Representative
Other

Were you advised on any eligibility for continuation of benefits through divorce transition under the USFSPA, such as continued Tricare coverage or military/federal pension and TSP divisions?
Were you able to successfully claim any USFSPA benefits for which you are eligible?

Other
How did you learn about these options, and were you able to get assistance in claiming your benefits?
How did not knowing about these options this impact your divorce settlement and financial future?
Did you face any challenges with jurisdictional issues when filing for divorce/separation? (Living in a separate state than your home of record, living overseas, Hague Convention custody laws, etc)?
Please share any of your experience with jurisdictional issues that you feel comfortable sharing. No personally identifying information will be shared unless you OPT IN to allow that at the end.
Do you believe your spouse or their command used the choice of legal jurisdiction (the state or country where the divorce or custody case was filed) as a way to control you or limit your access to your children?

Other
Do you believe a military move, deployment, or duty assignment was used to punish you or limit your access to your children or support system?

Other
Please share any additional information about your marriage and divorce/separation. All information will be kept confidential and no specific details will be released unless you OPT IN to give permission at the end of this survey.

Permission to Share Data

All data will be shared in combination with other responses to demonstrate how military spouses are affected by divorce. All survey responses will be kept anonymous and confidential; and no personal identifying details will be shared UNLESS you OPT IN to one of the following options. If you do NOT opt in, please check "no" on all questions and all your data will be kept confidential.
Data sharing permission (please select ONE)
Please share your name, your former spouse's name, and any other details you give permission to share.
Email (optional - we will not sell, share, or spam your email. We will only use this for follow-up clarification if necessary)
example@example.com
Should be Empty:

Military Spouse Divorce/Separation Survey Questionnaire

SILENT RANKS ADVOCACY ALLIANCE

Who is behind this survey?

Demographics

Divorce/Separation Information

Domestic Violence Data

Infidelity Data

Please click Next to continue

Mental Health Impact

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, please call, text, or chat 988 Lifeline (www.988lifeline.org) for free, confidential, immediate support in English, Spanish, and Deaf/HOH.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, please call, text, or chat 988 Lifeline (www.988lifeline.org) for free, confidential, immediate support in English, Spanish, and Deaf/HOH.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, please call, text, or chat 988 Lifeline (www.988lifeline.org) for free, confidential, immediate support in English, Spanish, and Deaf/HOH.

Permission to Share Data

Rows	No Response	Attempted contact, withdrew out of fear of harm or negative consequences from reporting	Dismissed My Concerns	Opened an Investigation	Provided Final Report	Provided Protection or Resources	Made Situation Worse	Retaliated Against Me for Reporting	Did Not Contact	Do not know what this is
Military Treatment Facility (healthcare and/or behavioral healthcare)
Civilian healthcare and/or behavioral healthcare including couples' counseling
Military supervisory chain of command (First Sergeant/Shirt/NCOIC, ExO, OIC, CO, etc)
Civilian supervisory chain of command
Military Law Enforcement (SPs, MPs, CID, OSI, etc)
Civilian Law Enforcement (police, sheriff, FBI, etc)
JAG/Legal support

Rows	No Response	Attempted contact, withdrew out of fear of harm or negative consequences from reporting	Dismissed My Concerns	Opened an Investigation	Provided Final Report	Provided Protection or Resources	Made Situation Worse	Retaliated Against Me for Reporting	Did Not Contact	Do not know what this is
Civilian Family Law (family court, child protective services, department of children and family services, social services, etc)
Civilian domestic violence assistance (shelters, food assistance, nonprofit organizations, etc)
Extended family (parents, in-laws, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc)
Friends
Community affiliations, including faith-based groups
Inspector General
Other