4/27/2016· Family Issues
Divorce: Vocational Evaluation in Family Law Cases
By: Allan Billehus
There are more people separated from the workforce now than there has ever been in the United States. Many of these individuals are not in the workforce by choice, although they will give you a list of issues and reasons why they are not working. As the need for information supporting requests for Alimony and Child Support increases, so does the need for assessment of earning capacity and vocational potential. Determining a spouse's earning ability can pose a difficult and complex dilemma. A spouse may be out of work by mutual agreement, e.g., health reasons or raising children, or may be unemployed involuntarily, e.g., job change or downsizing. A spouse may be purposely out of work or underemployed, or hiding income and this is when imputed income is needed. When issues arise regarding support of the spouse or children, determining the earning capacity for which either spouse should be responsible becomes a critical issue.
