Military affairs: other; office of mental health; establish within the Michigan veterans affairs agency. Amends 1967 PA 150 (MCL 32.501 - 32.851) by adding sec. 322. TIE BAR WITH: HB 5270'25

HB 5261 establishes a mental health support program within Michigan's Veterans Affairs Agency. It requires the agency to partner with the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct statewide outreach on mental health resources for service members, veterans, and their families (Section 322(1)(a)), develop materials to help families recognize mental health changes (Section 322(1)(b)), and collect data under the Protecting Veterans Mental Health Act (Section 322(1)(c)). The bill also creates a dedicated family support program for navigating mental health services (Section 322(2)) and allows digital platforms to connect veterans to resources (Section 322(3)), while protecting individual health records from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (Section 322(4)). The bill is contingent on the passage of companion bill HB 5270.