• Tennessee statutory code provisions provide children of divorced parents with sufficient insurance coverage.doctor's office image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com
  
  Tennessee provides specific divorce laws addressing medical and life insurance coverage requirements for a divorcing couple's minor children. According to Tennessee's divorce statutes, the Tennessee courts may order one parent to maintain the health and life insurance coverages for the divorcing couple's minor children if the divorce property settlement agreement does not adequately address these issues. Typically, Tennessee family law judges order coverage shares based upon pro-rata income distributions.
  
  

Tennessee Notice Regarding Insurance

• In Tennessee, divorcing spouses must complete a notice providing insurance information during their impending divorce decree. This form is used to provide health insurance notices. The form identifies critical health insurance information and includes notice of policy numbers, COBRA continuation of health coverage procedures and which spouse is responsible for maintaining health coverage.
  
  The form should be filed with the Court granting the divorce and provides specific insurance information for the spouse seeking coverage under a group health plan. If currently existing coverage will cease upon separation or divorce, the Tennessee statute provides that this form be provided to the other spouse within 30 days before the date of insurance termination.
  
  

Health Insurance and COBRA

• Under COBRA, divorce counts as a qualifying event to trigger COBRA's health benefits. Tennessee provides the insurance support obligations may continue until the child is 21 years old if the child is considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  
  

Life Insurance

• Furthermore, the Tennessee courts may order one or both spouses to specifically designate the beneficiaries to be the couple's children under any existing life insurance policy. The court may order either party to maintain the insurance with the children as designated beneficiaries.
  
  Since the owner of a life insurance policy has the legal right to name the beneficiaries of the life insurance policy, then if the life insurance policy is maintained, the agreement should spell out who the beneficiaries are currently, and the future rights, if any, of changing those beneficiaries.
  
  (See Reference 4)
  
  

Disclaimer/Warning

• Since this is general information for educational purposes, and laws may change frequently, the information should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in Tennessee.