Did you know that a creditor can only recover $1.00 from a seaman on a voyage? 46 U.S.C. § 11111 provides that:An amount deposited under this section, with interest thereon, is exempt from liability for the member’s debts, including any indebtedness to the United States or any instrumentality thereof, and is not subject to forfeiture by sentence of a court-martial.
There are many miscellaneous non-bankruptcy federal exemptions that are often overlooked but can be of critical importance to military personnel, sailors, veterans, civil servants, railroad workers, Native American tribes and others. The following chart of such miscellaneous exemptions is provided for your education and convenience.When a seaman is on a voyage on which a written agreement is required under this part, not more than $1 is recoverable from the seaman by a person for a debt incurred by the seaman during the voyage for which the seaman is signed on until the voyage is ended.
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Miscellaneous Non-Bankruptcy Federal Exemptions
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Asset
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Exemption
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Amount
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Civil service
employees’ retirement benefits
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5 U.S.C. § 8346
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Unlimited
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Foreign service
employees’ retirement benefits
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22 U.S.C. § 4060(c)
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Unlimited
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Military service
employees’ retirement benefits
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10 U.S.C. § 1440
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Unlimited
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Railroad workers’
retirement benefits
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45 U.S.C. § 231m
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Unlimited
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Social Security
benefits
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42 U.S.C. § 407
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Unlimited
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Veteran's benefits
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38 U.S.C. § 5301
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Unlimited
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Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) employees’ retirement benefits
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50 U.S.C. § 2094
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Unlimited
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Military Medal of
Honor Roll pensions
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38 U.S.C. § 1562(c)
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Unlimited
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Military service survivor’s benefit
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10 U.S.C. § 1450(i)
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Unlimited
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Survivor’s benefits for federal judges and
certain other judicial employees
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28 U.S.C. § 376(n)
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Unlimited
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Lighthouse workers survivor’s benefits
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33 U.S.C. § 775
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Unlimited
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Government employees’ death and disability
benefits
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5 U.S.C. § 8130
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Unlimited
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Longshoremen, harbor workers’ death and
disability benefits
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33 U.S.C. § 916
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Unlimited
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War, risk, hazard, death, or injury compensation
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42 U.S.C. § 1717
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Unlimited
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Military deposits to savings accounts while
on permanent duty abroad
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10 U.S.C. § 1035(d)
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Unlimited
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Wages (with exceptions for domestic
support, bankruptcy and taxes)
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15 U.S.C. § 1673
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Greater of 75% of
earned but unpaid wages; or
30 times the
federal minimum wage
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Indian [sic] land sale or lease proceeds (Secretary
of the Interior can consent to exceptions)
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25 U.S.C. § 410
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Unlimited
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Klamath tribe judgment funds (with
exceptions for debts owed to U.S.)
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25 U.S.C. §§ 543 & 545
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Unlimited
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Military group life insurance (with certain
exceptions for taxes)
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38 U.S.C. § 1970(g)
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Unlimited
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Railroad workers' unemployment benefits
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45 U.S.C. § 352(e)
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Unlimited
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Seamen's clothing (fine for person
detaining a seaman’s clothing)
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46 U.S.C. § 11110
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Unlimited
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Debts of a seaman incurred while on a
voyage (amount recoverable is limited to $1.00)
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46 U.S.C. § 11111
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Unlimited
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Seamen & fishermen wages (with
exceptions for spousal or child support)
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46 U.S.C. § 11109
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Unlimited
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Serviceman's Group Life Insurance or
Veteran's Group Life Insurance
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38 U.S.C. § 1970(g)
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Unlimited
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