Federal grants increase and enhance veterans treatment court offerings in Kansas

TOPEKA—The judicial branch will increase the number of veterans treatment courts operating in Kansas by three and enhance existing treatment court operations thanks to three grants from the U.S. Department of Justice. 

All three grants originate with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, with one coming to the judicial branch through the Kansas Governor’s Grant Program and another through a grant appropriation secured by Senator Jerry Moran.

Combined, the grants total $3.15 million and will be paid over periods ranging from one to four years. Two of the grants will enable the judicial branch to increase the total number of veterans treatment courts in Kansas to five. 

Grant funding helps cover treatment court start-up costs and contributes to their long-term success. It will also be used to cover costs of some supplies and services used by the courts, as well as training for judges and court personnel operating the courts. 

"We’re thrilled to add veterans treatment courts in some of our busiest judicial districts where more of our veterans live," said Chief Justice Marla Luckert. “We are grateful to Senator Moran for being a champion for veterans living in Kansas and for supporting our effort to add veterans treatment courts where they are most needed.”

Luckert also noted past and ongoing support from former chief justice Lawton Nuss, who retired in 2019. He is a veteran and passionate about expanding veterans treatment court offerings in Kansas. 

Luckert identified Nuss as the driver behind a multistate, four-part webinar series she co-hosted with him over a few months starting in late 2020. The series covered how to start and manage a veterans treatment court, including how to secure funding. Participants included prosecution and defense lawyers, law enforcement, community corrections, veterans organizations, and mental health professionals.

Veterans treatment courts offer people who have served in the armed forces and have a substance abuse disorder or mental health concern the option to receive treatment to help them interrupt a cycle that could lead to incarceration. 

A veteran who participates in a treatment court program must appear regularly before the court, participate in treatment, and submit to regular testing for drug and alcohol use. The structure the court provides reduces the likelihood the veteran will reoffend and remain involved in the criminal justice system.

Establish statewide veterans treatment court program

Grant funding supports creating a statewide specialty court coordinator position to assist local programs. The position will be housed in the Office of Judicial Administration in Topeka. 

The statewide coordinator will work to ensure treatment courts adhere to the 10 Key Components for Drug Courts and the 10 Key Components for Veterans Treatment Courts as outlined by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The coordinator will also develop standards and protocols to centrally collect, analyze, and retain veterans treatment court program data sets to measure program effectiveness. 

Support existing veterans treatment courts

Currently, Kansas has two veterans treatment courts in operation. The 10th Judicial District, composed of Johnson County, started its court in January 2016. A year later, it recognized its first graduate. 

More recently, the 29th Judicial District, composed of Wyandotte County, launched its veterans treatment court in summer 2021. 

Funding will be used for supplies and services for these veterans treatment courts.

Help new veterans treatment courts get started

The grants will also help some new veterans treatment courts get started.  

District Judge Bill Ossmann will preside over a veterans treatment court in Shawnee County District Court. He said the court has been in planning stages for more than a year and it will begin taking applications in December. 

“Shawnee County has a drug treatment court that has made a difference in the lives of individuals with a persistent drug addiction,” Ossmann said. “With the cooperation of the DA’s office, the VA, and our other community partners, we hope to have similar success with veterans who find themselves involved in the criminal justice system with our new veterans treatment court.”   
In Leavenworth County, District Judge Dan Wiley, himself a veteran, will preside over a veterans treatment court in his district. The court is expected to launch in January 2023.

Wiley said he and his colleagues had talked about starting a veterans treatment court for years before taking concrete action over the last several months. He added that assistant county attorney Chris Lyon, also a veteran, was critical to moving the plan forward. 

“There's a brotherhood of service that transcends all branches. We may joke about the differences, but the bottom line is we all served our country,” Wiley said. “We have a bond that doesn’t go away, and this is one way we can support one another.” 

District Judge Rodger Woods said excitement is building for a veterans treatment court in his community. Like other jurisdictions, Sedgwick County has a large veteran population. The county is also home to the McConnell Air Force base and a veterans hospital.

The veterans treatment court in Sedgwick County is expected to launch in January.

“We’ve had a drug treatment court program for nearly 15 years, and there has long been a desire to establish a veterans treatment court in Sedgwick County,” Woods said. “With grant funding now available, we are working in earnest with stakeholders to make our veterans treatment court a reality.”

Kansas veteran population

Kansas is home to three active-duty U.S. military installations. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports Kansas had a veteran population of 195,434 as of fiscal year 2020