Major Victory for Michigan Families: MDHHS Ends Use of Non-Compliant Michigan-Specific VIS

Michigan for Vaccine Choice • June 2026 After years of advocacy and persistent public records requests, Michigan families have scored a significant win for informed consent and parental rights.

Dr. Remington Nevin, Medical Director, St. Clair County Health Department

Today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) formally announced it is discontinuing production and distribution of its Michigan-specific Vaccine Information Statements (VIS). For the first time in decades, the state is acknowledging what the law has always required: every parent must receive the official state MCIR opt-out form prior to their child receiving any vaccine — at every location where vaccines are given.

What Changed — and Why It Matters

For years, Michigan health officials relied on a customized VIS that included language about the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR). MDHHS claimed this version had received federal approval from the CDC “several years ago” — specifically citing 1995. When pressed through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request (H028900-062625), however, the department admitted it could not produce a single document showing that approval ever existed.

St. Clair County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Remington Nevin filed the original FOIA request in June 2025 seeking emails, correspondence, reports, memoranda, and agreements related to federal approval of the Michigan-specific VIS. MDHHS denied the request, claiming the records were from 1995 and no longer retained. Dr. Nevin appealed, pointing out:

• The department’s own admission that the approval occurred in 1995 proved some record or institutional knowledge must exist. -

• Ongoing use of the Michigan VIS required current supporting documentation. -

• Michigan’s records retention policies likely required preservation of such significant policy records.

MDHHS upheld the denial but could not produce any records — not the original 1995 approval, not subsequent references, and not even internal emails confirming the approval’s validity.

The New Reality for Parents

Effective immediately, this change applies everywhere vaccines are administered in Michigan, including: -

• Doctor’s offices and pediatric clinics -

• Local health departments -

• Pharmacies (CVS, Meijer, Walgreens, etc.) -

• Hospitals, urgent care centers, and any other vaccination site

Under Michigan law (MCL 333.9206(3)), any health care provider giving a vaccine must, before administering the shot:

• Provide the parent/guardian with the official MCIR Participation in MCIR Reporting / Opt-Out Form -

• Explain the right to opt out of the state registry If a parent completes the initial opt-out form, they will still be required to fill out a separate formal opt-out form — an extra step that adds some friction, but one that finally brings the state into compliance with the law.

This is a clear improvement over the previous Michigan-specific VIS, which many families and advocates argued blurred or downplayed parents’ rights to decline vaccines and opt out of the registry.

This Victory Belongs to You

This outcome did not happen by accident. It happened because parents and advocates like Dr. Nevin refused to accept vague claims of “federal approval” without evidence. It happened because FOIA requests forced MDHHS to confront the lack of documentation supporting decades of non-compliant practice.

What you can do now: -

• Share this update with your pediatrician, school nurse, pharmacist, and local health department.

• Ask providers (at any vaccination site) to confirm they are now using the official MCIR opt-out form before every vaccine.

• If you encounter resistance, politely reference MCL 333.9206 and request the form.

At Michigan for Vaccine Choice, our mission remains unchanged: every parent deserves full, honest information and the right to make medical decisions for their children without coercion. This is a step in the right direction. Let’s build on it by monitoring implementation and pushing to remove the redundant second form. Stay informed. Stay involved.

Michigan for Vaccine Choice [www.michiganforvaccinechoice.org]