While ATRS staff may provide members with general information about the ATRS plan itself, ATRS cannot provide members with legal advice. If you have questions or concerns about your divorce or your divorce decree, you are strongly encouraged to reach out to an attorney who is not employed with ATRS.
Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO):
ATRS requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) to allocate benefits to a former spouse, as a divorce decree alone is insufficient. The QDRO must follow the ATRS Model and be approved by the System first before it is filed with the court. A QDRO that does not conform to the ATRS Model will be rejected, which may potentially delay payments to a former spouse. After ATRS has received a copy of a member’s ATRS-approved QDRO that has been filed with the court, as well as all necessary enrollment forms for the former spouse, payments to the former spouse will begin when the member retires or withdraws their contributions.
To request the ATRS Model QDRO or the enrollment forms, please contact our call center by phone at 501-682-1517 or via email at info@artrs.gov.