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Veterans Treatment Court — In 28 Counties, and Reachable From an Adjoining One

The first veterans treatment court in the country opened at Buffalo City Court in 2008, and this state now lists them across 28 counties. Two facts do the work here. First, the judiciary states plainly that these courts accept veterans with all characters of military discharge. Second, since a 2021 amendment a misdemeanour case can be removed to a veterans treatment court in an ADJOINING county, with the consent of both district attorneys — so being charged in a county with no court is not the end of it.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

The first veterans treatment court in the country opened at Buffalo City Court in 2008, and this state now lists them across 28 counties. Two facts do the work here. First, the judiciary states plainly that these courts accept veterans with all characters of military discharge. Second, since a 2021 amendment a misdemeanour case can be removed to a veterans treatment court in an ADJOINING county, with the consent of both district attorneys — so being charged in a county with no court is not the end of it.

What it's worth: A judicially supervised treatment track with a veteran peer mentor, open on every character of discharge, and transferable to an adjoining county’s court with both district attorneys’ consent

  • The judiciary states that veterans treatment courts accept veterans with all characters of military discharge.
  • The court team includes the judge, court staff, prosecutors, treatment and service providers, defence attorneys, probation, law enforcement, volunteer veteran peer mentors, and representatives from the federal veterans department.
  • The courts work with civilian healthcare providers, local veterans service agencies, the state veterans department and the federal veterans department.
  • The judiciary lists veterans treatment courts, veterans courts or veterans tracks in 28 counties: Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond in New York City; Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer and Sullivan in the 3rd judicial district; Essex in the 4th; Onondaga in the 5th; Broome, Chemung and Tompkins in the 6th; Cayuga, Monroe and Ontario in the 7th; Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee and Niagara in the 8th; Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Westchester in the 9th; and Nassau and Suffolk in the 10th.
  • Criminal Procedure Law §170.15(4) allows a local criminal court, outside a city of over one million, to remove an action to a designated problem solving court on the defendant’s motion, with notice to the district attorney and an opportunity to be heard.
  • The receiving problem solving court has five days to accept or decline before the removal order takes effect, and once it accepts it proceeds to final disposition.
  • Criminal Procedure Law §170.15(5) extends removal to another local criminal court in the same county, or — with the consent of the district attorney and the district attorney of the adjoining county — to a court in that adjoining county.
  • Removal to a veterans treatment court is prohibited for a family offence charge where the accused and the person alleged to be the victim are members of the same family or household.
  • The first veterans treatment court in the country was created by Buffalo City Court in 2008.
  • Participation is voluntary and the treatment plan is judicially supervised.

Who is entitled to it

  • The courts state they accept every character of discharge.
  • Your home is in New York.

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

  1. 1Tell your defence attorney you served, at the first appearance if you can. Nothing in the process identifies you as a veteran unless somebody says so.
  2. 2Do not rule yourself out on your discharge. The judiciary states these courts accept veterans with all characters of military discharge — this is one of the few veteran programmes anywhere where a bad paper discharge is not the gate.
  3. 3If your county is not on the list, ask about an adjoining county. Since the 2021 amendment a misdemeanour action can be removed to a veterans treatment court in an adjoining county where both district attorneys consent.
  4. 4Expect the receiving court to take up to five days to accept or decline. The removal order does not take effect until it accepts, so build that into any scheduling.
  5. 5Know the one hard exclusion: removal to a veterans treatment court is barred where the charge is a family offence and the accused and the alleged victim are members of the same family or household.
  6. 6Ask for the veteran peer mentor early. Volunteer veteran mentors are part of the court team, and the mentor relationship is the part of the model participants most often say carried them.
  7. 7Bring the discharge document if you have it. It is not a discharge-character gate, but it establishes service and opens the door to the federal and state benefits the court team will try to connect you to.
Form
A defendant’s motion to remove the action to a veterans treatment court
File with
The local criminal court handling the case, through your defence attorney
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal needed
CorrectionThe commonest reason a veteran never raises this is a belief that a less-than-honorable discharge disqualifies them. The judiciary’s own page says the opposite: these courts accept veterans with all characters of military discharge.
Worth knowingThe adjoining-county route needs TWO district attorneys to consent — the one prosecuting you and the one in the county whose court would take the case. That is a negotiation, not a right, and it is why raising it early matters.
Known gapThe sections read here govern removal of a misdemeanour action from a local criminal court. They do not tell you what a completed programme earns in any particular court — dismissal, a reduced plea or a sentence adjustment is decided case by case. Ask the court’s veterans coordinator what graduation has meant there.

Sources

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