Fresno County Veterans Treatment Court and Military Misdemeanor Diversion

Veterans Treatment Court. The Superior Court of Fresno County runs a post-conviction Veterans Treatment Court in Department 97B, 2317 Tuolumne Street, Fresno, for service personnel whose offense is related to mental illness, substance abuse, sexual trauma or other conditions, with VA mental health, social, educational and vocational services and a veteran mentor matched to each participant. Its flyer (revised February 2026) sets these eligibility rules: Fresno County residents preferred; the participant "must be eligible for V.A. Health care benefits"; "only felony cases may be referred"; a nexus between military service and the offense; placement on probation; and voluntary participation. The VA Veterans Justice Outreach specialist for the court is at 559-213-0264. Military misdemeanor diversion. Misdemeanour cases go to military diversion, with a separate VJO contact at 559-704-8513. How the court's rules compare with the statutes. VA health care eligibility is the court's requirement, not the Legislature's: Penal Code section 1170.9 covers anyone who served and has a qualifying condition from service, and section 1001.80 anyone who "was, or currently is, a member of the United States military", with no discharge test. And since January 1, 2025 section 1001.80 allows pretrial diversion for most felonies too, ending in dismissal, so a veteran charged with a felony need not wait for a conviction to ask for treatment; see the California entry.