[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 22, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 22CFR19.7-3]

[Page 91]
 
                       TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS
 
                     CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF STATE
 
PART 19_BENEFITS FOR SPOUSES AND FORMER SPOUSES OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE FOREIGN 
 
Sec.  19.7-3  Agreement with former spouse.

    (a) A spousal agreement between a participant or former participant 
and a former spouse may waive, reduce or increase the following benefits 
for a former spouse;
    (1) A pension under Sec.  19.9;
    (2) A regular survivor annuity under Sec.  19.11-2;
    (3) A supplemental survivor annuity under Sec.  19.10-6;
    (4) A lump sum payment for regular or recall service under Sec.  
19.13.

A spousal agreement shall also be used by a participant or former 
participant who has a former spouse on February 15, 1981, to elect a 
regular survivor annuity for such former spouse in accordance with Sec.  
19.11-2(e). An agreement to establish or increase any benefit for a 
former spouse entered into while the principal is married to someone 
else, must be signed and agreed to by both the spouse and the former 
spouse. An agreement affecting pension benefits may be filed at any time 
and will govern payments made after its acceptance by PER/ER/RET. An 
agreement affecting a regular survivor annuity must be filed before the 
end of the 12-month period after the divorce involving that former 
spouse or at the time of retirement, whichever occurs first, except as 
authorized in Sec.  19.11-2(b) for persons retired on February 15, 1981, 
or in Sec.  19.11-2(e) with respect to persons who were former spouses 
on February 15, 1981. This filing requirement stated in the Act makes it 
impossible to adjust, other than by court order, a regular survivor 
annuity for a former spouse when the divorce occurs after a retirement 
which occurs on or after February 15, 1981. The survivor annuity for the 
former spouse in such case is fixed by any spousal agreement entered 
into prior to the divorce, by Sec.  19.11-2 or by court order. An 
agreement affecting supplemental survivor benefits or lump-sum payments 
must be filed before the supplemental annuity of the principal begins or 
lump-sum payment is made.
    (b) A spousal agreement between a participant or former participant 
and a former spouse may be filed with PER/ER/RET at any time in 
accordance with Sec.  19.10-5 to provide an additional survivor annuity 
for the former spouse.

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