With legal separation, your assets and liabilities are divided as they would be in termination of marriage by divorce or dissolution. Issues of custody, child support and spousal support are also determined. Issues of custody, child support, and spousal support are also determined. The bottom line is that you are still married to that person. Everything has been legally divided, but you are still married.
Typically, when I see a couple choose legal separation, once they had a full explanation of what the differences are between a separation and a divorce, their choice relates to either religion or health insurance issues.
If you file for a divorce or you terminate a marriage by dissolution, you are usually no longer qualified as a spouse for continuation of health insurance on the general plan.
You’d have to maintain the same insurance using COBRA, which is usually quite a bit more expensive than the general plan that the spouse was on previously. By doing a legal separation, you usually are able to qualify to remain on the health insurance as you had been during the marriage because you are not divorced. Your marriage has not terminated.