Veterans In Prision Program
He is among 113 veterans at the Arizona State Prison Complex on South Wilmot Road who are participating in the Arizona Department of Corrections’ newly formed “Regaining Honor” program. Inmates are eligible for the program if they are classified as minimum custody, received an honorable, general or medical discharge from the military, and are less than two years from being released.
Incarcerated Veterans Veterans can sometimes run into issues with law enforcement and the criminal justice system resulting in incarceration. It is important justice-involved Veterans are familiar with VA benefits including what VA benefits they may still eligible to receive, what happens to the VA benefits they are already receiving if they become incarcerated, and what programs are available to assist them with reintegrating back into the community once released from incarceration. VA Benefits Despite the circumstances, some justice-involved Veterans may be eligible for VA benefits., and. See our page for an overview of the benefits available to all Veterans. Please be aware many VA benefits can be affected by incarceration.
The following sections provide information for justice-involved Veterans. VA Programs for Justice-Involved Veterans Health Care for Re-entry Veterans (HCRV) Program The HCRV Program is designed to help incarcerated Veterans successfully reintegrate back into the community after their release. A critical part of HCRV is providing information to Veterans while they are incarcerated, so they can plan for re-entry themselves. A primary goal of the HCRV program is to prevent Veterans from becoming homeless once they are reintegrated back into the community. Learn more about the. Veteran Justice Outreach (VJO) Initiative The VJO initiative is designed to help Veterans avoid unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration by ensuring eligible justice-involved Veterans receive timely access to VA health care, specifically mental health and substance use services (if clinically indicated) and other VA services and benefits as appropriate. Learn more about the.
How Incarceration Affects Eligibility for VA Benefits VA can pay certain benefits to Veterans who are incarcerated in a Federal, State, or local penal institution; however, the amount depends on the type of benefit and reason for incarceration. Disability Compensation VA disability compensation payments are reduced if a Veteran is convicted of a felony and imprisoned for more than 60 days. Veterans rated 20 percent or more are limited to the 10 percent disability rate. For a Veteran whose disability rating is 10 percent, the payment is reduced by one-half.
Once a Veteran is released from prison, compensation payments may be reinstated based upon the severity of the service connected disability(ies) at that time. Payments are not reduced for recipients participating in work release programs, residing in halfway houses (also known as 'residential re-entry centers'), or under community control. The amount of any increased compensation awarded to an incarcerated Veteran that results from other than a statutory rate increase may be subject to reduction due to incarceration. Pension Veterans in receipt of VA pension will have payments terminated effective the 61st day after imprisonment in a Federal, State, or local penal institution for conviction of a felony or misdemeanor.
Payments may be resumed upon release from prison if the Veteran meets VA eligibility requirements. Failure to notify VA of a Veteran's incarceration could result in the loss of all financial benefits until the overpayment is recovered. Apportionment to Spouse or Children All or part of the compensation not paid to an incarcerated Veteran may be apportioned to the Veteran's spouse, child or children, and dependent parents on the basis of individual need.
Incarcerated Veterans
In determining individual need, consideration shall be given to such factors as the claimant's income and living expenses, the amount of compensation available to be apportioned, the needs and living expenses of other claimants as well as any special needs, if any, of all claimants. Additional Information:.
VA will inform a Veteran whose benefits are subject to reduction of the right of the Veteran's dependents to an apportionment while the Veteran is incarcerated, and the conditions under which payments to the Veteran may be resumed upon release from incarceration. VA will also notify the dependents of their right to an apportionment if the VA is aware of their existence and can obtain their addresses. No apportionment may be made to or on behalf of any person who is incarcerated in a Federal, State, or local penal institution for conviction of a felony. An apportionment of an incarcerated Veteran's VA benefits is not granted automatically to the Veteran's dependents. The dependent(s) must file a claim for an apportionment. Education Benefits Beneficiaries incarcerated for other than a felony can receive full monthly benefits, if otherwise entitled.
Convicted felons residing in halfway houses (also known as 'residential re-entry centers'), or participating in work-release programs also can receive full monthly benefits. Claimants incarcerated for a felony conviction can be paid only the costs of tuition, fees, and necessary books, equipment, and supplies. VA cannot make payments for tuition, fees, books, equipment, or supplies if another Federal State or local program pays these costs in full. If another government program pays only a part of the cost of tuition, fees, books, equipment, or supplies, VA can authorize the incarcerated claimant payment for the remaining part of the costs. Additional Information Each VA Regional Office has a Homeless Veterans Outreach Coordinator who assists justice-involved Veterans. They are a direct point of contact for you to learn more about what benefits you qualify for, assist you with applying for those benefits, and refer you to other organizations and resources that will help you with your specific needs.
To find your local Homeless Veterans Outreach Coordinator, please call VA's National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838).
— The Missouri Department of Corrections houses more than 1,860 offenders who self-identify as U.S. Military veterans. For the 133 self-identified veterans who are inmates at the Moberly Correctional Center (MCC), a new opportunity for support and programming is being offered in the form of a Veterans Prison Program that started just six months ago. The six-month-old Veteran’s Prison Program is intended to address the special needs and challenges that so often are a factor for the U.S.
Veteran population, including but not limited to substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. The Missouri Department of Corrections Veteran’s Prison Project includes PTSD treatment, substance abuse treatment, anger management and group therapy. In addition, many peer-led courses and mentoring programs are part of the program, including classes on parenting guidance, victim impact and cognitive behavior training. Within the program, veteran inmates can earn privileges to hold card tournaments, softball games and movie nights. Veteran inmates also schedule training and maintenance and observe traditional military rituals such as raising and lowering a U.S. The new veteran’s program found its origins from a piloted PTSD program that was started in 2016 by Trish Cahill, licensed clinical social worker and institutional chief of mental health services at MCC.
Cahill saw changes in the participants immediately after starting the group and realized that there was more of a need for this type of programming than MCC had originally understood. “We had never in the prisons — in terms of housing, reentry, therapy — done anything specifically for veterans,” Cahill said in a statement on the.
“We piloted this PTSD group, and then we realized how big it was. It exploded.” The program currently has a special wing with enough beds for 66 participants, with 51 of those beds being occupied as of Dec. 5, according to a recent article from the. For an inmate to be considered for the program, they must have served in the military and be able to provide a DD214 proof of discharge.
The program looks at each case on an individual basis to determine what benefits can be given through Veterans Affairs based on each inmate’s discharge status, and includes holds veterans who have served from pre-Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. Stay tuned for further coverage of the project in the January/February issue of Correctional News.