2023-2024 Key Effort Updates:

Key Effort 2:  Policy Change:

WFA is proud to report that it has worked directly and successfully with the Office of Congressmen Mike Turner from the 10th Congressional District of Ohio to add the following direct report requirement into the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Page 33 and 34 of  SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL EN BLOC #1.

PDF:HASC PASSED-CHILD CUSTODY INQUIRY

WFA is proud to have influenced California Legislation State Bill 1182 in 2022 which amongst other things, requires that Judges provide substantive grounds in the event mental health of a parent is at issue regarding best interest of the child.  It requires that Judges provide specific reasons associated with how the mental health issue presents risk to the child, thereby eliminating the risk of a party asserting the mental health of the other is a risk to their child without substantive support.  

Link:  https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1182/id/2607067

Key Effort 4: Legal Support 

A New Partnership

WFA is excited to announce a new partnership with a Washington D.C. based law firm and an experiment family law attorney, which will allow for limited representation of Veterans and Service-member to protect, defend, or assert their parental rights regarding custody (legal and/ or custodial) as well as access to their child and/or children.  If you are a Veteran or Servicemember who has a custody arrangement based on the jurisdiction of Washington, D.C. please reach out to WFA and we will determine if your case can be supported by this new partnership.   

Key Effort 5:  Research  

Recent Publications

Erhan Bedestani, The Negative Impact of Service Member and Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Rating or Specter of PTSD on Child Custody Arrangements, 31 Cath. U. J. L. & Tech 113 (2022). 

Link: https://scholarship.law.edu/jlt/vol31/iss1/6

Pending Publications:

Roger Hill and Erhan Bedestani, “Got your Six, Veterans and Family Court.” Family Court Review 2025.