Veterans Justice Outreach Program

• Identify justice-involved Veterans and contact them through outreach
• Facilitate access to VA and other services at the earliest possible point, including intensive case management

The program accomplishes this by building and maintaining partnerships between our VA facility and key elements of the criminal justice system.

• Veterans who are in contact with community law enforcement
• Incarcerated Veterans in local jails and involved in treatment courts
• Veterans re-entering the community post prison release

Outreach

• To Veterans incarcerated or otherwise involved with criminal justice entities

Treatment-matching assessment

Our staff are behavioral health licensed independent practitioners that can provide an initial determination of needs and plan with Veterans

Education

• To Veterans, criminal justice, and VA staff on justice-involved Veteran dynamics and resources

Case management

• Linking to needed services for those in treatment courts or engaging in VA services

Consultation and advocacy

• To increase access to clinical service for justice-involved Veterans

Systems Intervention

• To improve services, change policies and establish identification processes

Facilitating access to civil legal services

• Compile and maintain listings of legal resources, as well as build partnerships where needed

The first step to providing VA health care services to Veterans is to identify them as Veterans. 

Ask, “Have you ever served in the United States Armed Forces or military?,” because when you ask, “Are you a Veteran?,” many people think this applies only to Veterans who served in combat. 

Building this question into the booking or arraignment process as soon as possible will facilitate eligibility determination for Veterans. Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) can also be a resource.

The second step is to determine whether a Veteran is eligible for VA health care services. VA eligibility/admissions offices at the local VA hospital determine eligibility. VA clinical staff cannot provide determinative information on eligibility.

Available health care services may include:

• Hospital and outpatient medical care
• Domiciliary and nursing home
• Sexual trauma counseling
• Specialized health care for women Veterans
• Homeless programs
• Readjustment counseling
• Mental health services, including:
  • Alcohol and drug treatment
  • Work therapy
  • Anger management
  • Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT)
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment

• With Veteran consent, communicate essentials (attendance, progress, treatment, testing, discharge plan) to courts or probation
• Function as a treatment court team member
• Provide evidence-based treatment for court-monitored Veterans

• Perform forensic psychiatric evaluations for the court
• Accept custody
• Write lengthy court reports or complete diversion paperwork
• Provide legal services or advice
• Provide VA medical benefits to incarcerated Veterans
• Provide legally required treatment without VA clinical indication