§ 1408.
(l)
Garnishment To Satisfy a Judgment Rendered for Physically, Sexually, or Emotionally Abusing a Child.—
(1)
Subject to paragraph (2), any payment of retired pay that would otherwise be made to a member shall be paid (in whole or in part) by the Secretary concerned to another person if and to the extent expressly provided for in the terms of a child abuse garnishment order.
(2)
A court order providing for the payment of child support or alimony or, with respect to a division of property, specifically providing for the payment of an amount of the disposable retired pay from a member to the spouse or a former spouse of the member, shall be given priority over a child abuse garnishment order. The total amount of the disposable retired pay of a member payable under a child abuse garnishment order shall not exceed 25 percent of the member’s disposable retired pay.
(3)
In this subsection, the term “court order” includes a child abuse garnishment order.
(4)
In this subsection, the term “child abuse garnishment order” means a final decree issued by a court that—
(A)
is issued in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction of that court; and
(B)
provides in the nature of garnishment for the enforcement of a judgment rendered against the member for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child.
(5)
For purposes of this subsection, a judgment rendered for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child is any legal claim perfected through a final enforceable judgment, which claim is based in whole or in part upon the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of an individual under 18 years of age, whether or not that abuse is accompanied by other actionable wrongdoing, such as sexual exploitation or gross negligence.
(6)
If the Secretary concerned is served with more than one court order with respect to the retired pay of a member, the disposable retired pay of the member shall be available to satisfy such court orders on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the order of precedence specified in paragraph (2), with any such process being satisfied out of such monies as remain after the satisfaction of all such processes which have been previously served.
(7)
The Secretary concerned shall not be required to vary normal pay and disbursement cycles for retired pay in order to comply with a child abuse garnishment order.
(Added [Pub. L. 97–252, title X, § 1002(a)], Sept. 8, 1982, [96 Stat. 730]; amended [Pub. L. 98–525, title VI, § 643(a)]–(d), Oct. 19, 1984, [98 Stat. 2547]; [Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title VI, § 644(a)], Nov. 14, 1986, [100 Stat. 3887]; [Pub. L. 100–26], §§ 3(3), 7(h)(1), Apr. 21, 1987, [101 Stat. 273], 282; [Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title VI, § 653(a)(5)], title XVI, § 1622(e)(6), Nov. 29, 1989, [103 Stat. 1462], 1605; [Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title V, § 555(a)]–(d), (f), (g), Nov. 5, 1990, [104 Stat. 1569], 1570; [Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title X, § 1061(a)(7)], Dec. 5, 1991, [105 Stat. 1472]; [Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title VI, § 653(a)], Oct. 23, 1992, [106 Stat. 2426]; [Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title V, § 555(a)], (b), title XI, § 1182(a)(2), Nov. 30, 1993, [107 Stat. 1666], 1771; [Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, § 1501(c)(16)], Feb. 10, 1996, [110 Stat. 499]; [Pub. L. 104–193, title III], §§ 362(c), 363(c)(1)–(3), Aug. 22, 1996, [110 Stat. 2246], 2249; [Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title VI, § 636], Sept. 23, 1996, [110 Stat. 2579]; [Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title X, § 1073(a)(24)], (25), Nov. 18, 1997, [111 Stat. 1901]; [Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title X, § 1048(c)(9)], Dec. 28, 2001, [115 Stat. 1226]; [Pub. L. 107–296, title XVII, § 1704(b)(1)], Nov. 25, 2002, [116 Stat. 2314]; [Pub. L. 108–189, § 2(c)], Dec. 19, 2003, [117 Stat. 2866]; [Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title VI, § 665(a)], Jan. 6, 2006, [119 Stat. 3317]; [Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title X, § 1073(a)(15)], Oct. 28, 2009, [123 Stat. 2473]; [Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VI, § 641(a)], title X, § 1081(b)(2)(B), Dec. 23, 2016, [130 Stat. 2164], 2418; [Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V], §§ 531(m), 534(a), title VI, § 624(a), Dec. 12, 2017, [131 Stat. 1386], 1390, 1429.)