TLDR: Wife most likely wants a divorce. Me - federal government employee with less than ten years of service but married for more than twenty. Is my wife entitled to a portion of my retirement benefits?

A little background - my wife and I have been married for over 20 years. Our youngest child is a rising senior in high school. I work for the federal government and have been there for six years. She works as an independent contractor, and we make about the same level of income.

Our relationship has been rocky for much of our marriage. We've made it work, though. Earlier this year, my wife kicked me out, while I was away on a trip for work. We had fought just before I left for the trip, and in her mind, it was the Proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. I got a call as I sat in the airport terminal prepped to fly back home that the locks had been changed. She told me that I'd have to meet her coworker at the house to retrieve my belongings.

We've been separated now for most of this year. We're working on getting back together, but it really feels as though I'm the one working on it while she regularly hangs out with coworkers at the local bars and breweries.

The D-word originally came up from her. She suggested it, and I fought against it. Now, I feel like it's a losing battle. I'm not here to talk sh*t about wife, but I think no matter how much I change, she'll still resent me. So, I am now leaning towards divorce.

I know once you surpass fifteen years of marriage, the spouse is entitled to half or close to half of the other's retirement benefits. Recently, I was informed that no matter how long one has been married, the spouse is not entitled to the retirement benefits if the federal employee has been with an agency/federal service for less than ten years. Does anyone have any knowledge on this? Yes, this is a question specifically for a divorce attorney, but I thought I'd give it a go here first.