Rep. Nelson seeks to establish veterans' courts

After more than a decade of U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, there is a growing awareness of the problems faced by returning veterans in their homes and communities. The service member and his or her family and friends experience this collateral damage as they cope with the aftermath of war and military action.

A recent study detailed some of the most important problems faced by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans: 14 percent of respondents indicated post traumatic stress disorder, and 12 percent of respondents indicated “mental health” as being important problems. Untreated issues such as PTSD and other mental health issues have been attributed to disruptive and destructive behavior by veterans, leading to the unfortunate statistic that nine out of every 100 individuals in U.S. jails are current or former members of our military.

More than a year ago, I received proposed language to establish “veterans’ courts” within the state of Florida. The language was based on another state’s penal code, with several successful programs already in existence in various locations such as the Buffalo, N.Y., system. The program for Florida would address the increasing involvement of military veterans who are in the criminal justice system. It would provide for pretrial diversion and would permit the judge to consider a veterans’ combat experience in making a post-trial sentencing decision.

This would accomplish two important objectives. It would first provide the option for special veterans’ courts to be used statewide. Second, it would facilitate access for those veterans in the court system to receive the benefits and assistance they are entitled to from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This special docket would be accessible to those veterans who have documented service and who do not face certain types of charges (such as a first-degree felony, battery or domestic violence). As an added benefit, such a program would have a negligible fiscal impact according to the state’s Criminal Justice Impact Conference, as the benefits are already available to the veterans and the dockets are simply separate from other cases, as is the case with mental health courts and drug courts already in Florida.

The name of this act is the T. Patt Maney Veterans’ Treatment Intervention Act after Judge Maney of Okaloosa, who has been indispensable with developing the legislation and advocating for those veterans who are “lost” in the system and who face the hardships of adjusting after returning from war. Last year, the bill passed unanimously in the Senate but unfortunately died in the House at the end of session.

I am proud and honored to sponsor this legislation again, with Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Bennett serving as the Senate sponsor. It has been filed as House Bill 117 in the Florida House and Senate Bill 140 in the Senate. It is currently waiting to be referred to its respective committees to begin its process toward passage. It is my hope that we can pass this good bill and ensure that our veterans who are struggling receive the assistance they are entitled to because they do so much for our country and our freedoms.

If you would like more information on this bill or any other state agency or issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at 407-884-2023. Thank you to our servicemen and women for your service to our country — it is truly an honor to serve you.

Nelson is the Florida House District 38 representative.