Judge establishes 1st court to offer vets preference docket
Judge Tom Rickoff (photo)
Probate court #2
Probate Court #2, has established the first civilian court in the United States to offer a military veterans' preference docket. Beginning March 30th, Judge Rickhoff will hear uncontested wills and complete the probate process for the military widows of our veterans in Bexar County.
The hearings will be open to retired military service members and their widows each Tuesday at 2 p.m. with staggered appointments. Judge Rickhoff estimates the savings for retired service members will be at an average of $2,500 per case. Presently, any retired veteran in Texas has an existing benefit to have a free will prepared and, all the probate documents.
However, these benefits are poorly advertised, and not well-known among the veteran community. This is perhaps, in part, because it is offered nowhere else in the country. “The process has been virtually error-free thanks to the Fort Sam Houston Judge Advocates’ office,” says Judge Rickhoff.
According to Judge Rickhoff, there are no lines, no wait, and everyone’s case will be addressed before the rush hour. Currently, his courtroom is being reconfigured to allow for easier access by the disabled.
Cases will take no longer than 30 minutes from the time one enters the Courthouse, and veterans’ families can also have their case heard any time during the week if Tuesday is inconvenient. For widows who are homebound, the court will come to them to conduct a hearing. Judge Rickhoff hopes to expand the program through the State Bar of Texas’s Military Law section.
“I always take the time to meet and talk with military families and service members about their tours of duty and I conclude by thanking them for their devotion,” says Judge Rickhoff. “In decades past, this was not always the experience for returning Vietnam veterans,” he continues.
Judge Rickhoff has prepared hundreds of service members’ wills without cost to veterans over the decades while serving as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) reservist. In addition, Judge Rickhoff is currently drafting legislation to waive court costs for these services so the entire process will be a free benefit for retired service members.
State Senator Jeff Wentworth, a former counter-intelligence officer, is reviewing this legislation for sponsorship. Presently, only those killed in a hostile environment are exempt from filing fees. In addition, Judge Rickhoff recently testified in Austin for the establishment of veterans’ courts for the limited number of misdemeanors involving veterans suffering from mental disorders. This new docket is not that program. It is far more extensive and will focus on wills, estates and veterans’ benefits.
Serving in Vietnam as a Judge Advocate Officer.
He hopes for an expansion to other areas such as custody for grandchildren by grandparents and guardianships where members of the San Antonio Bar Association with former military service experience will participate. Judge Rickhoff served as a captain in a combat brigade in Vietnam earning the Bronze Star and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
His son was an Army tank-retriever throughout Iraq and the Judge’s father served in the Navy in the Phillippines. Retired service members and their widows can make appointments for will and probate administrations in Probate Court #2 with James Bivens, Jr., (Ret) ’71 Delta at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, Building 134 on Stanley Road by calling (210) 221-2282.
Editor's Note: Currently only two other Bexar County Judges served in Vietnam. Both Bill Donovan (Pl. 2) (1966) & Steve Walker (Pl. 1) (1970) are Justices of the Peace in Pct. 2.
Probate court #2
Probate Court #2, has established the first civilian court in the United States to offer a military veterans' preference docket. Beginning March 30th, Judge Rickhoff will hear uncontested wills and complete the probate process for the military widows of our veterans in Bexar County.
The hearings will be open to retired military service members and their widows each Tuesday at 2 p.m. with staggered appointments. Judge Rickhoff estimates the savings for retired service members will be at an average of $2,500 per case. Presently, any retired veteran in Texas has an existing benefit to have a free will prepared and, all the probate documents.
However, these benefits are poorly advertised, and not well-known among the veteran community. This is perhaps, in part, because it is offered nowhere else in the country. “The process has been virtually error-free thanks to the Fort Sam Houston Judge Advocates’ office,” says Judge Rickhoff.
According to Judge Rickhoff, there are no lines, no wait, and everyone’s case will be addressed before the rush hour. Currently, his courtroom is being reconfigured to allow for easier access by the disabled.
Cases will take no longer than 30 minutes from the time one enters the Courthouse, and veterans’ families can also have their case heard any time during the week if Tuesday is inconvenient. For widows who are homebound, the court will come to them to conduct a hearing. Judge Rickhoff hopes to expand the program through the State Bar of Texas’s Military Law section.
“I always take the time to meet and talk with military families and service members about their tours of duty and I conclude by thanking them for their devotion,” says Judge Rickhoff. “In decades past, this was not always the experience for returning Vietnam veterans,” he continues.
Judge Rickhoff has prepared hundreds of service members’ wills without cost to veterans over the decades while serving as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) reservist. In addition, Judge Rickhoff is currently drafting legislation to waive court costs for these services so the entire process will be a free benefit for retired service members.
State Senator Jeff Wentworth, a former counter-intelligence officer, is reviewing this legislation for sponsorship. Presently, only those killed in a hostile environment are exempt from filing fees. In addition, Judge Rickhoff recently testified in Austin for the establishment of veterans’ courts for the limited number of misdemeanors involving veterans suffering from mental disorders. This new docket is not that program. It is far more extensive and will focus on wills, estates and veterans’ benefits.
Serving in Vietnam as a Judge Advocate Officer.
He hopes for an expansion to other areas such as custody for grandchildren by grandparents and guardianships where members of the San Antonio Bar Association with former military service experience will participate. Judge Rickhoff served as a captain in a combat brigade in Vietnam earning the Bronze Star and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
His son was an Army tank-retriever throughout Iraq and the Judge’s father served in the Navy in the Phillippines. Retired service members and their widows can make appointments for will and probate administrations in Probate Court #2 with James Bivens, Jr., (Ret) ’71 Delta at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, Building 134 on Stanley Road by calling (210) 221-2282.
Editor's Note: Currently only two other Bexar County Judges served in Vietnam. Both Bill Donovan (Pl. 2) (1966) & Steve Walker (Pl. 1) (1970) are Justices of the Peace in Pct. 2.
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