Published By Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
COVID-19 has disrupted ordinary lives and that is an understatement. It is more than just quarantines and stay-at-home orders. The financial wellness of ordinary citizens is placed in jeopardy and certain arrangements are threatened. Alimony is one of those.
The court establishes in the divorce decree how much a spouse needs to pay the other. It is based on the financial information at the time. Granted, the loss of a job or income can be an issue. The difference between an ordinary job loss and the coronavirus pandemic is that the temporary loss of employment was the result of a state decree.
The Ordinary Process
A Complaint for Modification is the paper process by which a spouse can request that the old alimony amount be adjusted in light of a change of financial circumstances a Motion for Temporary Order, which allows for an immediate reduction in support is also filed. A litigant must justify the request for alimony reduction by pointing out the loss of income. Proof must be provided.
It is not easy for anyone to come up with the information. Most employees do not have a good understanding of financial wellness or what the court might be looking for in the Complaint for Modification. Employers play a pivotal role in solving this problem by offering the kind of benefit that gives employees access to expert information. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a program that offers substantial help.
Working with a Financial Wellness Expert
Countrywide has a national network of certified counselors who will assist. There is a counselor which does business in the community of the client organization. Our plan members are given priority status and can quickly contact the local counselor. By the way, these professionals have established coronavirus protocols and can work at a distance with a person.
There are some standard tools that a Countrywide counselor uses to advise financial wellness plan members. A budget analysis investigates the cash flow of an individual, noting where the money is coming from and where it is going. This kind of information can be used to persuade a court that the reduced cash flow brought on by a coronavirus will stay home order is making it almost impossible for a plan member to pay rent or meet other necessary expenses. An asset inventory that identifies what assets a person has that can be liquidated will add further evidence of unusual financial stress.
There is another advantage gained by having a Countrywide counselor do both the budget analysis and an asset inventory. Courts look favorably on good faith efforts to pay alimony. The Countrywide counselor can show a plan member how with specific adjustments to the cash flow, money can be freed up to pay something. Counselors can help in convincing a judge that the financial wellness plan member is not trying to dodge responsibility. It can lead to a reduction in payments.
The Countrywide – Employer Team
The client organization plays a significant role in our services. We have several financial wellness options that offer help with everyday money matters. We ask the client management to look at our services and decide which ones will be part of the plan. Countrywide provides the administration that gets services to employees quickly.
A prospective client can be assured that their workforce will be treated with respect and courtesy. We want our counselors to show a great deal of empathy to those who are dealing with circumstances brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Hopefully, the pandemic will run its course, and people will be back at work soon. Employers can help their employees by including in the new normal work environment benefit. If you have any questions about our services, please feel free to contact us at your convenience. We believe we have the benefits your employees can use.