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Van Buren County approves $5,000 for West Michigan Veterans Treatment Court and signs FY26 veterans grant
Summary
The board approved a $5,000 one-time grant to the West Michigan Regional Veterans Treatment Court and authorized the county to execute the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency fiscal year 2026 grant, which the presenter said will be $32,000 smaller than last year.
Van Buren County commissioners approved a $5,000 one-time payment to support the West Michigan Regional Veterans Treatment Court and voted to authorize the county to execute the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) fiscal year 2026 grant during their April 22 meeting.
The request for $5,000 came during public comment from the court’s presiding judge, who said the amount would cover the cost of additional drug and alcohol testing and would “bring us through the end of the year and enable us to bring on 5 to 6 more veteran participants in the veteran court.” The judge said the program conducts randomized testing three times a week and that testing costs were not fully covered by state budgeting.
County administration recommended using the specialty court fund reserve for the payment, the judge said, and a commissioner moved and the board supported the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.
Separately, county staff presented the MVAA FY26 grant and asked the board to authorize the chair to sign all grant documents so the county can execute the award. The presenter said the county’s FY26 MVAA allocation will be reduced by $32,000 from the prior year and that the department plans to prioritize continuing the dental program and an emergency relief program while taking a conservative approach to spending in case of further state reductions. The board moved, seconded and approved the authorization by voice vote.
Why it matters: the Veterans Treatment Court provides supervised treatment and supports for justice-involved veterans; funding affects how many participants the court can accept and what services (notably testing and dental assistance) the county’s veterans services office can sustain.
Details and next steps: the judge requested additional help from county grant-writing staff to pursue sustainable funding from state sources. County administration said it would “take that under advisement” and help where possible. Commissioners asked to be notified of upcoming graduations and outreach events; county staff said they would share dates and links via email.
The board recorded both approvals during the April 22 session; no additional appropriation language or contract numbers were specified on the record.
