State Rep. Doug Wozniak, vice-chair of the House Committee on Families and Veterans, today announced the committee approved a plan to expand Michigan’s missing person alert system to include veterans who are at risk.

House Bill 5387 would amend the Mozelle Senior or Vulnerable Adult Medical Alert Act to allow alerts to be activated for missing veterans with serious physical or mental health conditions.

“The men and women who served in uniform made sacrifices most of us will never fully understand,” said Wozniak (R-Shelby Township). “If a veteran goes missing and is at risk, we owe it to them and their families to mobilize every resource possible to find them and bring them home safely.”

Under current law, the medical alert system applies only to missing seniors or vulnerable adults. Law enforcement agencies that receive a report must compile key identifying information and quickly distribute it to other agencies and broadcasters to notify the public.

Wozniak said the legislation closes a gap in the law.

“A veteran in crisis may not meet the technical definition of a senior or vulnerable adult, but that does not mean they are not at risk,” Wozniak said. “This bill ensures that when a veteran is reported missing and facing a serious health condition, law enforcement can activate an alert and mobilize the public just as they would in other high-risk cases.”

The bill defines a “missing veteran at risk” as an active-duty service member or veteran of the armed forces or Michigan National Guard who is reported missing and is believed to have a physical or mental health condition by someone familiar with the individual.

Wozniak said expanding the alert system could lead to faster recoveries and better outcomes for veterans in crisis.

“This is about making sure our policies reflect our responsibility to those who have worn the uniform,” Wozniak said. “If we can help even one veteran get home safely and connect them with the help they need, it is worth it.”

House Bill 5387 now moves to the full House for consideration.