Veterans Court

Veterans-Court

Why a Veterans Court?

Veterans Courts were developed to assist veterans who have themselves facing charges that may be attributed to anger, mental health, adjustment issues or substance abuse problems. The goal of Veterans Treatment Courts is to divert those veterans with these issues from the traditional justice system and to give them veteran focused intervention, treatment and the tools for rehabilitation and readjustment. 


Westmoreland County’s Veteran Court Referral Process:

The veteran, his family, a law enforcement officer, the Magisterial District Judge, counsel, prosecutor, Veterans Justice Outreach personnel or another professional may refer the veteran to the Veterans Court Program by properly completing and returning the Veterans Court Referral Form.  Upon receipt of the properly completed referral form, the veteran will be contacted to initiate the eligibility screening process.

Ideally, this referral should be made as early in the proceedings as possible, such as prior to the Preliminary Hearing, but all properly referred veterans will be contacted for eligibility screening.

Generally speaking, Veterans facing most Misdemeanor and low-level Felony charges are eligible for Veterans Court participation.  There are exceptions to this policy such as cases involving child victims and Chapter 31 offenses.  The Westmoreland County District Attorney must consent to the admission of all Veterans Court participants.