FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

In "The Military Blended Retirement System: What Every Servicemember and Lawyer Must Know," Marshal S. Willick explains the four major components of the recent major overhaul to retired servicemembers' total pension benefits called the "Blended Retirement" plan: a Defined Benefit, a Defined Contribution, Continuation Pay, and Elective Lump Sum of the Defined Benefit. In "Chapter 61 Disability Retired Pay: Once Untouchable, Now Back in Play," Brent Tanner gives the background on how the 2017 Supreme Court decision in Howell v. Howell has turned with the March 2022 Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) decision ruling that receipt of Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) is considered disposable retired pay under federal law. When representing a former spouse of a servicemember, the Mississippi case of Williams v. Williams demonstrates that specific reference to survivor benefits in the divorce decree and meeting the deadline to file a claim for the SBP of the service member are imperative.