[Decision Concerning Entitlement of Former Spouse to Direct Payment of Army Member's Retired Pay]

The former spouse of a retired Army member claimed entitlement to a portion of the member's retirement benefits pursuant to a state court order. The Army denied payment to the claimant because the court that granted the original divorce decree ordered direct benefit payments solely to the member. GAO held that the Army properly denied payment, since it was statutorily prohibited from implementing a subsequent court-ordered division of property. Accordingly, the claim was denied.