Whenever it appears that a person with mental illness is a veteran eligible for treatment in a Veterans' Affairs hospital, center, or other facility or installation, the district court judge or special justice may, upon receipt of a certificate of eligibility from that hospital, center, or other facility or installation, order the person to that hospital, center, or other facility or installation, regardless of whether the person resides in Virginia. Any veteran who has been or is in a state hospital and is eligible for treatment in a Veterans Affairs hospital, center, or other facility or installation may be transferred to a Veterans Affairs hospital, center, or other facility or installation with the written consent of its manager. Any veteran admitted to a Veterans Affairs hospital, center, or other facility or installation, if he resided in Virginia prior to his admission and meets the criteria for admission to a state hospital, may be transferred to a state hospital with the written authorization of the Commissioner.
Code 1950, § 37-73; 1950, p. 905; 1968, c. 477, § 37.1-93; 2005, c. 716.