questions & answers

Question: when trying to find my divorce degree to apply for ex-husbands social security after his death, finally got sent to the filing dept. and the clerk said there was no signed divorce degree in the file. The judge had never signed a divorce decree. she said i was still married to him but the ssa courts won't accept my word How do I fix the situation so I can get my ex's social security. altogether we were married 12 yrs but I disqualified because we didn't remarry for 2 yrs versus 1 yr. Neither of us ever remarried

Answer: If there is no court order granting the divorce, you may not be legally divorced.  It appears you need the help of a family law attorney to help you sort out this problem.  There are 3 programs in Arizona that you can use to get some inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the Modest Means Program.  For a $75.00 fee, the Modest Means Program will arrange a one hour consult with an experienced attorney.  The telephone number is (866) 637-5341. Both the Maricopa County Bar Association and the Pima County Bar Association have lawyer referral services that offer a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consultation for a fee of $40.00. The telephone number is (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consultation for a fee of $35.00.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.  Make an appointment and take all of your paperwork to the meeting with the lawyer.