Davidson County Veterans Treatment Court
In its last reported year the court took 17 of 41 referrals. Getting on this docket is not a formality, and the discharge on your DD-214 may matter less than you assume.
What This Court Is and Where It Sits
The Davidson County Veterans Treatment Court is a specialty docket inside General Sessions Court, established in 2014 with a Department of Justice implementation grant and presided over by Judge Melissa Blackburn of Division II. In the court's own words, veterans "agree to participate as a condition of probation or on a diversion program for criminal charges."
That sentence is worth reading twice, because it sets the two doors into this program. One of them follows a conviction and one of them can avoid it, and which door you walk through is decided before you enter rather than at graduation.
| Judge | Melissa Blackburn, General Sessions Division II |
|---|---|
| Docket | Mondays at 1:00 PM, Courtroom 3B, Justice A.A. Birch Building |
| Program office | 100 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 100, Nashville, TN 37219 |
| Phone | (615) 862-8320 |
| Established | 2014, with a Department of Justice implementation grant |
| Funding | Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services |
| Cost to participate | None |
Details as published by the court and by the General Sessions Court of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. Court schedules change. Confirm before you rely on a date.
Most Referrals Are Not Accepted
In fiscal year 2024 to 2025, the court recorded 41 cases referred and 17 accepted. Referral and admission are two different events, and in that year most referrals did not become admissions.
| Measure | Reported |
|---|---|
| Cases referred | 41 |
| Cases accepted | 17 |
| Graduates | 12 |
| Graduate success rate | 90% did not re-offend within one year of completion |
Figures from the General Sessions Court annual report for the period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. The success rate is defined by the court as graduates who did not re-offend within one year of program completion. Past results in other cases do not predict what happens in yours.
Why the Admission Number Is the One That Matters
The graduation and re-offense figures describe people who were already admitted. The number that decides whether any of that is available to you is the first one: 41 referred, 17 accepted.
Admission is discretionary. It runs through evaluation by court specialists, the district attorney's position, and the judge. A referral is a request, not an entry, and how the request is prepared and what has been negotiated before it lands is the part a lawyer actually affects.
Your Discharge Characterization May Not Close This Door
The court's published materials say participants "may have honorable discharges, other than honorable or dishonorable," and have substance abuse issues. Veterans routinely assume the characterization on their DD-214 disqualifies them from everything. For this court, the published description does not say that.
That list names three characterizations, and there are others. General under honorable conditions, bad conduct, and uncharacterized or entry level separations all exist and none of them appear on a published exclusion list either. If your paperwork says something other than "honorable," that is a question to ask rather than an answer to assume.
The Court and the VA Are Two Different Gatekeepers
An other than honorable discharge is not an automatic bar to VA benefits. This gets stated wrongly all the time. Under 38 U.S.C. § 5303(a) the statutory bars turn on specific circumstances rather than on the label: discharge by sentence of a general court-martial, desertion, an officer's resignation for the good of the service, refusal to serve as a conscientious objector, and absence without leave for 180 days or more under other than honorable conditions, and even that last one has an exception where the veteran shows compelling circumstances. Otherwise the VA makes a character of discharge determination, and veterans with other than honorable discharges are found eligible regularly.
A dishonorable discharge is different, and the difference is worth knowing. It comes only by sentence of a general court-martial, which is one of the statutory bars. So a veteran with a dishonorable discharge who is accepted into this court still cannot rely on VA-funded treatment to satisfy the program's treatment requirements. That is a solvable problem, but it has to be solved deliberately and through community providers rather than assumed away.
The short version: court eligibility and VA eligibility are separate questions with separate rules. Do not rule yourself out of either one on a paperwork assumption.
How a Case Gets on This Docket
By referral, with your consent, followed by a screening and a discretionary decision. Participation is voluntary. The court tells applicants: "If you want to apply to the Veterans Court, have your attorney visit our form section for applications and information."
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The Referral Goes In
The court directs applicants to have their attorney handle it, though the form also collects a separate referrer name and organization, so others do refer. Either way the candidate has to consent, because the program is voluntary. Nobody is placed here against their will.
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The Program Processes the Form
The referral page asks for about four business days to complete a new candidate form. That is the time to process paperwork, not the time to reach a decision. Screening and an admission decision take longer.
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Specialists Screen, and the Court Decides
Court specialists evaluate the candidate, the district attorney has a position, and the judge decides. This is where 41 referrals became 17 admissions. There are no published eligibility criteria to check yourself against, which is precisely why the preparation matters.
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Entry Comes Through Probation or Diversion
Participants are placed on probationary status rather than being sent to jail. Whether that runs as a condition of probation or through a diversion program depends on the case. The veterans defense overview explains what separates those two, and why it decides what happens if the program does not go well.
What the Referral Actually Asks For
The referral is detailed. Having the answers ready is the difference between a referral that moves and one that sits, and two of these categories decide more than the rest.
| Category | What is asked |
|---|---|
| Military service | Branch, component (active, reserve or National Guard), years and months of service, discharge type |
| Charge history | Any history of sex offense, arson or murder charges |
| The case | Court, warrant numbers, charges, disposition, probation status, custody status |
| Other jurisdictions | Pending cases outside Davidson County, and any holds |
| Treatment history | Prior diagnoses, where treatment happened, any prior mental health court participation, drug of choice |
| Contact and personal | Name, age, address, phone, marital status, and attorney contact details |
| Consent | Confirmation that the candidate consented and understands the program is voluntary |
The form asks directly about sex offense, arson and murder history. It does not publish what it does with the answer, and there is no published exclusion list, so anyone with that history needs a real conversation about this route before a referral goes in rather than after. Holds and pending out-of-county cases are the other two items the form asks about that have to be dealt with rather than discovered mid-screening. Bring your DD-214 if you have it. Not having it is a solvable problem, not a reason to wait.
The Ten Components Every Tennessee Veterans Court Runs On
Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-6-103 provides that all veterans treatment court programs in Tennessee shall be established and operated according to ten key components adopted from the National Clearinghouse for Veterans Treatment Courts at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. They are program design standards, not participant rights, and they describe accurately what the docket will demand.
| 1 | Integrate alcohol and drug treatment and mental health services with justice system case processing |
|---|---|
| 2 | Promote public safety while protecting participants' due process rights, with prosecution and defense counsel using a nonadversarial approach |
| 3 | Identify eligible participants early and promptly place them in the program |
| 4 | Provide access to a continuum of alcohol, drug, mental health and other related treatment and rehabilitation services |
| 5 | Monitor abstinence by frequent alcohol and other drug testing |
| 6 | Establish a coordinated strategy to govern responses to participants' compliance |
| 7 | Maintain ongoing judicial interaction with each veteran as an essential component of the program |
| 8 | Use monitoring and evaluation to measure the achievement of program goals and gauge effectiveness |
| 9 | Employ continuing interdisciplinary education and training to promote effective veterans treatment court planning, implementation and operations |
| 10 | Forge partnerships among the court, the veterans administration, public agencies and community-based organizations to generate local support and enhance veterans treatment court effectiveness |
Component five is the one people underestimate. Frequent testing is statutory, not a formality. Component six is the one to read carefully: a coordinated strategy governing responses to compliance is the statutory basis for graduated sanctions, which can include short jail stays for noncompliance.
What the Program Expects From You
The court publishes five expectations for participants. They are short, and they are not decorative. Participants also work through phases using a handbook and a workbook, so this is a structured program with stages rather than a period of time you wait out.
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Regular Court Supervision
"You must participate in regular court supervision." The docket sits Mondays, and ongoing judicial interaction is one of the ten statutory components.
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A Law-Abiding Life
"You must live a law-abiding life and avoid activities that can get you into trouble." A new charge while in the program is the fastest way out of it.
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Every Appointment
"You must attend all scheduled treatment and support services appointments." Missed appointments are a compliance issue, not a scheduling one.
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Clean and Sober
"You must remain clean and sober." Paired with statutory frequent testing, this is the requirement that most often produces a sanction.
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The Paperwork
"You must complete all required paperwork." Unglamorous, and a real reason people stumble in a program that runs on documentation.
The Courtroom Runs Differently, and That Is Deliberate
Section 16-6-102 gives a veterans treatment court program the same powers as the court that created it, and then adds one sentence that tells you most of what you need to know about the room: "Any disagreements shall be resolved prior to court and not in front of the participants."
In an ordinary courtroom the argument happens in front of you. Here the team works it out beforehand, and what reaches the docket is a position. Section 16-6-101 defines that nonadversarial approach as the district attorney general and the defense attorney working together for the benefit of the participants and the program.
Two consequences follow, both practical. What your lawyer puts in front of the team before the docket is most of the advocacy. Records, a treatment plan already underway, a VA rating decision, all of it lands before Monday rather than during it. And the judge will talk to you directly, by name, about how your week went. Veterans who expect to sit silently behind counsel are surprised by it. Most come to prefer it.
What Finishing Actually Does to the Charge
In the court's own words, on successful completion the charges you entered with "will be addressed and may be reduced or dismissed depending on the circumstances." That phrasing is accurate and worth reading closely, because reduced and dismissed are very different outcomes.
Reduced and Dismissed Are Not the Same Result
Where entry was through a diversion program, completion can end in dismissal, and a dismissed charge is the cleanest thing that can happen to a record. Where the charge is one that diversion cannot touch, a DUI being the clearest example, completion is more likely to produce a reduction than a dismissal.
A reduction is still worth a great deal, because what you are reduced to decides whether the record can ever be cleared. That is the most consequential thing decided in one of these cases, and it is decided at the front end rather than at graduation.
None of this is a guarantee. Outcomes depend on the charge, the record and the circumstances, which is exactly what the court's own language says.
Getting In Is the Part That Takes a Lawyer
The program is free and the referral form is public. What is not public is any eligibility list, which means nobody can check themselves against one. Forty-one referrals produced seventeen admissions in the last reported year. The gap between those two numbers is where the work is.
Austin Tomlinson is an Army veteran who practices in Davidson County General Sessions and Criminal Court. What matters before a referral goes in is what the charge is negotiated to, whether entry runs through probation or diversion, and whether a hold or an out-of-county case is handled first. All three are easier to shape before the referral than after.
Talk to AustinBefore the Referral, Not After
What the charge is reduced to, and whether entry runs through probation or diversion, get settled at the front end. Both are hard to revisit later.
Holds and Other Counties
A pending matter elsewhere is one of the items the referral asks about directly. Handling it early keeps the timeline intact instead of stalling a screening.
Is This Even the Right Move
Months of reporting, treatment and testing is not the right trade for every case. An honest read on that is worth more than an enthusiastic one.
Davidson County Veterans Treatment Court FAQ
Is everyone who gets referred accepted?
No, and it is not close. In fiscal year 2024 to 2025 the court recorded 41 cases referred and 17 accepted. Admission is discretionary and runs through evaluation by court specialists, the district attorney's position and the judge. A referral is a request, not an entry.
Can I get into veterans court with an other than honorable discharge?
The court's published materials describe participants as possibly having honorable, other than honorable or dishonorable discharges. There is no published exclusion list keyed to characterization. Separately, an other than honorable discharge is also not an automatic bar to VA benefits: under 38 U.S.C. section 5303(a) the statutory bars turn on specific circumstances rather than the label, and the VA makes a character of discharge determination. Court eligibility and VA eligibility are different questions.
Who submits the referral, me or my lawyer?
The court tells applicants to have their attorney visit its form section for applications and information. The form also collects a separate referrer name and organization, so referrals do come from others as well. Your consent is required either way, since the program is voluntary. Expect about four business days for the program to process a new candidate form, which is separate from how long screening takes.
Do I go to jail while I am in the program?
Entry is on probationary status rather than custody. That is the point of the docket, but it is not a guarantee against jail. Section 16-6-103 requires a coordinated strategy governing responses to compliance, which is the basis for graduated sanctions, and those can include short jail stays. Failing out of the program puts the underlying case back in front of the judge.
How often do I have to be in court?
The docket sits Mondays at 1:00 PM in Courtroom 3B of the Justice A.A. Birch Building, and the court expects participation in regular court supervision. Ongoing judicial interaction with each veteran is one of the ten statutory key components under section 16-6-103, so regular appearances are built into the design rather than an occasional check-in.
Does it cost anything?
The program states there is no cost to participate. That is separate from any court costs, fines or restitution attached to your underlying case, which do not disappear because you entered a specialty docket.
What if I have a case in another county?
The referral asks specifically about pending cases outside Davidson County and about holds. It does not necessarily disqualify you, but it has to be addressed up front rather than surface halfway through screening.
What if I have a sex offense, arson or murder charge in my history?
The referral form asks about that history directly. The court does not publish what it does with the answer and there is no published exclusion list, so this is a question to work through with a lawyer before a referral goes in rather than after. Answer it honestly on the form either way. A history discovered mid-screening is worse than one disclosed at the start.
What happens if I do not finish the program?
That depends entirely on how you entered. If you came in as a condition of probation, a violation puts you in front of the judge on the probation case. If you came in through diversion, failing has different consequences depending on whether the diversion was judicial or pretrial. The veterans defense overview sets out that difference, and it is the reason the entry route should be a deliberate decision.