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Veteran Courts — Eleven of Them, and Most Sit in Municipal Court

The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services publishes a list of the state’s veteran courts. They are a collaborative process among prosecutor, defence counsel, judge, the department or the federal VA, and community organisations, and they supervise a treatment plan aimed at the causes of the behaviour — post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anger, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services publishes a list of the state’s veteran courts. They are a collaborative process among prosecutor, defence counsel, judge, the department or the federal VA, and community organisations, and they supervise a treatment plan aimed at the causes of the behaviour — post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anger, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse.

What it's worth: A supervised treatment plan in place of the ordinary path through the case, where the court hearing your case runs one

  • The department describes veteran courts as "a collaborative process that includes the prosecutor, defense counsel, judge, and sometimes the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services or the Department of Veteran Affairs, and other community-based support organizations".
  • The department states the court "creates and supervises treatment plans to address the underlying causes of the Veteran's behavior and/or substance abuse issues", and names post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anger issues, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and drug abuse as issues commonly addressed.
  • The department publishes eleven entries under "Arizona's Veterans Courts — Information Links by Region": East Valley Regional Veterans Court; Maricopa County Superior Court Veterans Court (probation only); Coconino County Superior Court Veterans Court; Bullhead City Municipal Court Veterans Court; Kingman Veterans Court; Lake Havasu City Consolidated Court Veterans Court; Mesa Municipal Veterans Court; Phoenix Municipal Court Veterans Court; Pima County Justice Court Veterans Court; Tucson Municipal and Regional Municipalities Veterans Court; and West Valley Regional Veterans Court.
  • The Maricopa County Superior Court entry is marked "probation only" on the department’s own list.
  • No Arizona Revised Statutes section establishing veteran courts was found this session. Titles 11, 12, 13 and 41 were each listed and searched for veteran and diversion provisions; A.R.S. § 11-365 gives the county attorney sole discretion to divert or defer prosecution but says nothing about veterans.
  • No dismissal, sentence reduction or discharge-upgrade outcome is stated on the department’s page, and none is published here.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served, which is what this route is written around.
  • Your home is in Arizona.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: Raise it as early in the case as possible
  1. 1Tell your lawyer you served before the first hearing. Nothing in an Arizona charging document discloses military service.
  2. 2Look at the court you are actually in. Most of the eleven entries on the department’s list are municipal or consolidated courts — Bullhead City, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Mesa, Phoenix, Tucson — not Superior Court.
  3. 3If your case is in Maricopa County Superior Court, ask specifically what stage it applies at. The department’s list marks that entry "probation only".
  4. 4If there is no veteran court where you are charged, ask the county attorney about diversion anyway. A.R.S. § 11-365 gives the county attorney sole discretion to divert or defer prosecution of an offender, and the section places no restriction on the ground.
  5. 5Name the condition when you ask. The department’s page lists post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anger issues, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and drug abuse as the issues these treatment plans address.
  6. 6Ask the department to sit at the table. Its own description contemplates the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services taking part in the collaborative process.
  7. 7Ask what completion buys before you agree to the plan. The department’s page does not say, and the answer is set by the individual court.
Form
None — raised through counsel in the case
File with
The Arizona court hearing your case, through defence counsel
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionArizona’s veteran courts are mostly municipal, not Superior Court. Six of the eleven entries on the department’s own list are municipal or consolidated city courts, and the Maricopa County Superior Court entry is marked probation only.
Known gapNo Arizona statute establishing veteran courts was found this session — titles 11, 12, 13 and 41 were listed and searched. What the department publishes is a list of programmes, not a statutory scheme, so eligibility and outcomes are set court by court.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.