Page 87 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2020- Online Magazine

Bernhard Mittemeyer organized a committee to investigate the Our veterans and our Rural Health Committee thank so
requirements for a new VA Clinic to support area veterans and many people who helped to make this project happen. The
to keep the promises that were made to them when they joined City of Lubbock mayor, city council and other city leadership
the U.S. Military. have been so very supportive, as well as state and federal
government officials, including former U.S Rep. Randy
Neugebauer, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, who was chairman of the
House Veteran Affairs Committee, U.S. Senator John Cornyn,
Congressman Jodey Arrington, Tech Chancellor Kent Hance,
TTUHSC President Tedd Mitchell, Phil Price, Mr. Ted Welch
and his colleagues at the Amarillo VA, and many others.

Lubbock Veterans Treatment Court
Update: Lubbock, Amarillo to Share
Training
Major General (U.S. Army, Retired) Walter Huffman
Dean Emeritus Texas Tech University School of Law

Spearheaded by former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Marine
Corps Veteran Dick Baker, Lubbock’s Veterans’ Treatment
The new VA Super Clinic is under construction and expected Court (VTC) is nearing reality. Briefly, the purpose of the VTC is
to be completed not later than December 2020. It is expected to send veterans, whose minor criminal violations are linked to
to be open and operational by early spring 2021. The contract military service-related PTSD, into treatment programs instead
was awarded in October 2018 to the US Federal Properties of jail. However, if the veteran fails to complete the ordered
Company of Kansas City, MO. The clinic has more than 120,000 treatment program, then a jail sentence is imposed. VTC
sq. ft. of space and is approximately four time larger than the programs have been extremely successful throughout Texas,
present clinic located at 6104 Avenue Q. It will have easy access and we commend Lubbock Criminal DA Sunshine Stanek for
for veterans and families with more than 640 parking spaces her agreement that veterans deserve, and Lubbock needs, a
located across from the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center on VTC.
the corner of 4th St. and Indiana Ave.
Stakeholders who will be actual participants in the Court
It is important that adequate medical support is available to (prosecutor, defense attorney, probation officer, court
the more than 323,000 veterans in the West Texas and New administrator, District Court and volunteer VTC Judges
Mexico area and that those eligible veterans are enrolled in the Bill Sowder and Mark Hocker along with treatment courts
VA System to receive care. The new facility will have increased coordinator Judge Ruben Reyes) met July 15th. The meeting
medical and social services and increased space for primary included a telephone call with our Department of Justice
care, physical therapy, dermatology, podiatry, orthopedic, trainer, and the decision was made that virtual training will be
dental and other special care services. conducted on August 26-28, with follow-up on-site training in
Lubbock when COVID virus restrictions allow. Amarillo does
General Mittemeyer said, “The veterans will see the Lubbock not have a VTC but does have a “Veterans’ Docket” in their
VA Super Clinic as theirs! They will be in a facility that court system that serves a similar purpose; thus, the Amarillo
will honor their service to our country and where they are Court personnel will join in the training provided by the Justice
appreciated! The VA has done a great service for letting us go Department.
forward with this new facility.”
Lubbock’s VTC will follow the organization and structure of the
Denton County VTC. I am proud to say that the driver behind
this impetus and the current judge of the Denton VTC is 2005
Texas Tech Law graduate, Forrest Beadle – clearly taught well
by both me and Dick Baker. The next step is completion of the
handbook, which Chief Probation Officer Steve Henderson is
drafting. The VTC will entertain primarily misdemeanor and
non-violent felonies. If the veteran is successful in completing
the ordered treatment program, the case will be dismissed, and
the veteran’s record cleared as allowed by law. Judge Sowder
wants to start the Court by the end of September, with the Court
meeting two times a month. It will serve a vital role in helping
many veterans overcome the adverse effects of their service and
become healthy, well-adjusted and contributing citizens.

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