An Act to connect veterans with earned benefits, the official text

	SECTION 1. Section 3 of said chapter 276A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-  
	The probation officers of a district or municipal court, or an official designee of such a probation officer, when gathering information in accordance with section 85 of chapter 276, shall also screen each defendant for the purpose of enabling the judge at arraignment to consider the eligibility of the defendant for diversion to a program. The probation officers or an official designee shall also confirm the defendant's status as a veteran or as a person on active service in the armed forces of the United States and shall determine if the defendant has previously been diverted pursuant to clause (ii) of subsection (c) of section 4. Any person identified as a veteran, as defined in said clause, shall be provided with a list of contact information for the Veteran’s Administration, the local Veteran Justice Officer, their local Veteran Service Officer and the Veterans Administration Department of Veteran Services Suicide Hotline.		
	SECTION 2. The first paragraph of section 3 of chapter 276A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding after the first paragraph the following paragraph: 
	Once a veteran is identified by the indigency verification process, the office of probation shall refer said veteran to the Veteran Justice Officer for determination of Federal Benefits.