Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act, legislation he introduced that requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire additional Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) specialists in order to ensure veterans have greater access to effective and tailored treatment.  

The VJO program was created by the VA to provide veterans with timely access to VA services and engage justice-involved veterans in specialty treatment courts. The veterans treatment court model removes veterans from the regular criminal justice process and helps to address symptoms that are unique to veterans, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse. In a veterans treatment court, the presiding judge works alongside the veteran and the VJO specialist to establish a structured rehabilitation program that is tailored to the specific needs of that veteran.

Video of Flake’s remarks can be viewed here.
A transcript of the prepared remarks can be viewed below.

Cosponsors: U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.). A companion bill was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.).

Background:

• On April 19, 2017, Flake and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote an op-ed for The Arizona Republic on the need for expanding the veteran treatment court system. Read the op-ed here.
• On April 11, 2017, Flake and Brnovich visited the Mesa Municipal Court to observe the court’s veterans docket. During the visit, Flake and Brnovich met with several dedicated VJO specialists who are responsible for connecting veterans to available veterans treatment court services under the VJO program.  

Support:

• Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act is supported by the American Legion, American Veterans (AMVETS) , Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Justice for Vets, Student Veterans of America, Addiction Haven, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, National District Attorneys Association, Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council, Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Coconino County Attorney’s Office, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Pima County Attorney’s Office, Wounded Warrior Project, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Arizona (VFWAZ).

View the VFW’s letter of support here.
View the Pima County Attorney’s Office letter of support here.
View the PVA’s letter of support here.
View the National District Attorneys Association letter of support here.
View the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office letter of support here.
View the Coconino County Attorney’s Office letter of support here.
View the VFWAZ’s letter of support here.
View the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council’s letter of support here.
View the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys’ letter of support here.
View the Arizona Attorney General’s Office’s letter of support here.

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Arizona is home to more than half a million veterans. They have served in every conflict from World War II to present day operations in the Middle East. Nothing makes me prouder than to shake the hand of one of these brave men or women and to call them an Arizonan.

Fortunately, many of these veterans have the support of friends and family, as well as their fellow veterans when they return home. But far too many who have served our country lack a support system that can help them successfully make the transition back to civilian life. For those who have post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury, this can be particularly difficult.

Studies have shown that veterans often do not seek out mental health treatment due to concerns about stigma, negative career prospects, lack of awareness, or logistical challenges in accessing care. For those who go without treatment, it can lead to substance abuse, and in some cases, run-ins with the law.

While there is no justification for criminal behavior, it is important to recognize when certain actions may be symptomatic of the harrowing experiences a veteran has endured during years of service. This is something the criminal justice system often fails to do.

By not providing treatment that actually addresses a veteran’s underlying service-connected issues, our criminal justice system creates a vicious cycle. It over-criminalizes service-connected mental illness, undertreats incarcerated veterans, and increases recidivism.

To address this problem, the VA created the Veterans Justice Outreach program in 2009. The program was established to remove veterans from the regular criminal justice process and provide specially tailored treatments to address many of these underlying issues. These veterans treatment courts have a proven track record of preventing initial incarceration and reducing recidivism.

The lifeblood of the program are the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) specialists who link veterans to available court services. These outreach specialists identify veterans in jails and local courts, assess their health status, and help to develop a rehabilitation treatment program specific to each veteran’s needs.

I recently had the opportunity to observe the veterans docket and meet with some of these dedicated specialists while visiting the Mesa Municipal Court earlier this month. Let me tell you, there is no substitute for seeing this process firsthand. Even though it’s a courtroom setting, there is a comradery and collaboration that you don’t see in traditional courtroom proceedings. That comes from having a judge and hardworking staff who have served in the military themselves. They understand the hardships of multiple deployments for service members and their families. They understand the mental and physical tolls of combat. And they understand that the transition back to civilian life can mark the beginning of a new battle for veterans.

Though the program has experienced remarkable success, the unfortunate reality is that the VA doesn’t have enough outreach specialists to ensure access to already available treatment for justice-involved veterans. Demand for VJO specialists is outpacing the program’s ability to serve eligible veterans. This means that future veterans treatment courts can’t be established, existing courts will go understaffed, and veterans will go unserved. And that’s not right.

That is why today I am introducing the Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act to ensure that our veterans receive swift and appropriate access to justice. This legislation will provide 50 additional VJO specialists for veterans treatment courts nationwide. By increasing the number of dedicated specialists at these facilities, Congress can ensure that more veterans have access to the treatments they have earned with their service.

 

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