[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 22, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 22CFR19.6-6]

[Page 105-106]
 
                       TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS
 
                     CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF STATE
 
PART 19--BENEFITS FOR SPOUSES AND FORMER SPOUSES OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE FOREIGN SERVICE RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY SYSTEM--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 19.6-6  Notification.

    (a) Notification to a principal. Whenever PER/ER/RET receives from a 
former spouse or other eligible beneficiary--
    (1) a court order which it deems qualified that requires payment to 
the beneficiary; or
    (2) A final decree of divorce which it deems valid together with a 
request for a pro rata share payment--PER/ER/RET will send a copy of the 
document

[[Page 106]]

to the principal and a notice stating: (i) That PER/ER/RET deems the 
order qualified or the divorce decree valid, (ii) that payments will be 
made from the principal's account to the beneficiary and the effective 
date of such payments, (iii) the effect of such payments on the 
principal's retirement benefit. In the case of any court order with 
retroactive or immediate effect, and in the case of pro rata share 
payments, the amounts will be withheld from future payments to the 
principal but will not be paid to the beneficiary for 30 days from the 
notice date in order to give the principal an opportunity to contest the 
court order or the validity of the divorce.

PER/ER/RET will provide the former spouse or other beneficiary the same 
information, stating the exact amount that will be payable to the 
beneficiary and explaining how that amount was calculated.
    (b) Notification to a former spouse. When PER/ER/RET receives from a 
principal--(1) a court order which it deems qualified that requires or 
forbids payment to a former spouse; or (2) a final decree of divorce 
which it deems valid without an accompanying court order--PER/ER/RET 
will send a copy of the document to the former spouse and a notice 
stating: (i) That PER/ER/RET deems the court order qualified or the 
divorce decree valid, (ii) that PER/ER/RET intends to honor the court 
decree or to make pro rata share payments because of the divorce, (iii) 
the effective date, exact amount, and method of calculation of any 
payments to the former spouse.

PER/ER/RET will provide the same information to the principal and will 
explain the effect any payment to a former spouse will have on the 
principal's retirement benefit.