| Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act |
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| The Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (UMDA) is an extensive uniform law which provides standards governing marriage, divorce, property distribution, alimony, child support, and custody. Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana and Washington have adopted it. The major provisions eliminate fault divorces, eliminate traditional defenses to divorce, provide for equitable distribution of property in non-community property states, provides for distributing community property, provide for alimony only in specific circumstances, and base child support and custody on certain factors.More... |
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| Unmarried Cohabitants |
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| ''Cohabitation'' can be defined as a relationship involving a heterosexual or homosexual couple who live more or less permanently in the same household and who mutually assume those rights, duties, and obligations that are typically manifested by a married couple, including sexual relations. While a cohabitation relationship may resemble a marriage, it does not legally qualify as a ceremonial, common-law, or putative marriage.More... |
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| Adoption and Safe Families Act - Reasonable Efforts |
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| The Family Preservation and Support Services Act required states to make "reasonable efforts" to reunify families and prevent the permanent removal of a child from his or her home. The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) attempts to clarify the "reasonable efforts" requirement. More... |
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| Long Distance Caregiving, Hiring a Caregiver, and Medicare |
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| Many adult children no longer live in close proximity to their parents. Often times either children or parents relocate due to employment or retirement. If a parent falls ill, the task of caring for the parent in a long distance capacity may be very difficult and stressful. Moreover, long distance caregiving is a time-consuming endeavor.More... |
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| International Adoption - Home Study |
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| United States immigration laws require prospective parents to undergo a "home study" before they can adopt a child from a foreign country. A home study is an investigation into the prospective parents' fitness to raise an adopted child. A home study is conducted by an individual or agency that is licensed by the prospective parents' home state.More... |
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