Jackson County Circuit Court Veterans Court

The Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri's 16th Judicial Circuit, has run a Veterans Court since July 2, 2012, under Mo. Rev. Stat. 478.001; see the Missouri entry. Commissioner Tiffany D. Gregg, appointed Treatment Court Commissioner of Division 50 in December 2020, presides over it with the Drug Court and the Mental Health Court. On August 31, 2026 the County Legislature passed Ordinance 6122, appropriating $685,130 of the State Treatment Courts Coordinating Commission grant for the adult treatment court, the family court and the Veterans Court. How it works. Like the Drug Court, a veteran charged with a crime who succeeds in an extensive court-ordered treatment programme can have the case dismissed and leave without a criminal record. Unlike the Drug Court, the Veterans Court also takes veterans who have pleaded guilty and are on probation. Treatment comes mainly from VA in Kansas City. Who gets in. The Prosecutor's Office reviews each case and decides eligibility. The court's 2012 announcement said Class A offences and sex offences are excluded, and that a defendant "must be eligible for services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs", with a State grant to pay for treatment for a veteran with a dishonorable discharge while that veteran seeks an upgrade. The court has posted no later eligibility rules. Where it differs from the statute. Section 478.001.7 covers anyone who has served or is serving in the armed forces, the Reserves and the Guard included, sets no discharge or VA-eligibility test, and gives preference to combat service. A veteran with an other-than-honorable discharge who is told VA ineligibility bars the programme can point to the statute and to the court's own 2012 provision for veterans outside VA care.