Carbon County commissioners have increased the amount of grant money they are asking for to pay for a veterans court.

Commissioners on Thursday ratified their grant application to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to reflect a request for $100,000.That's up from the $92,501 they initially asked for.The veterans court is aimed at diverting those who have served in the military from prison, instead placing them into programs designed to help them overcome whatever challenges they are facing.PCCD advised the county to apply for the larger amount, said Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein.The county applied for the one-year, match-free grant in May, but has yet to learn if it will be receiving the money.The county salary board created the court positions earlier this month "so that if we are announced as recipients of the grant, we can move immediately," Nothstein said.The purpose of the special court is not necessarily to save the county money, he said, but to save lives."It doesn't do them any good sitting in the county prison. This gives us the opportunity to get that person into specialized care under government benefits for veterans," Nothstein said.The court would, for example, get veterans who suffered head injuries to facilities where they can be treated."In the prison, we don't have the facilities nor the personnel. It would be very expensive to have that staff to treat the people," he said.Nothstein said about 100 veterans have been the county court system."It's hard to estimate how many veterans were going to be able to help through the program," he said.Nothstein said that preventing returns to prison, and homelessness, is a plus for the county.Commissioner William O'Gurek said saving money isn't the aim; instead, it's helping veterans."That's the most important thing, as opposed to a dollar figure," he said.He said diverting five or 10 veterans from prison won't save the county money because jail operations must continue regardless, at a cost of $63 a day per inmate.