Opioid settlement deadline extended, municipalities encouraged to register

The deadline to sign on to receive funds from the multibillion-dollar Opioid settlement with Teva Pharmaceuticals, Allergan Pharmaceuticals, CVS Pharmacy, and Walmart Pharmacy has been extended to May 2, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is encouraging municipalities to complete their participation forms by the deadline.

Municipalities that submit forms by the cut-off date could be eligible to receive direct payments from the more than $446 million that will be allocated to Michigan over the next 13 years.

Nessel signed Michigan onto the proposed multibillion-dollar national settlements with Teva Pharmaceuticals, Allergan Pharmaceuticals, CVS Pharmacy, and Walmart Pharmacy in December 2022. The settlements were the result of efforts to hold those companies responsible for their roles in the opioid epidemic that has so deeply impacted some communities in this state.

“Opioids have had devastating effects on many Michigan communities,” Nessel said. “The companies that make and distribute them should bear some of the burden of combatting the damage these drugs have left in their wake. Though the money will not bring back loved ones or ease the pain suffered by thousands of families, it will provide resources to help the impacted communities recover. There is still time to register for funds and I encourage every eligible municipality to do so.”

Based on the settlement terms, there are 278 local units of government in Michigan - called subdivisions in the settlement agreement - eligible to participate. This includes each of the state’s 83 counties. Other municipalities are eligible if:

• The municipality is currently litigating against the defendants; or
• The municipality has a population of 10,000 people or more.  

The Department has a?full list of eligible subdivisions on its website at www.michigan.gov/ag.

Eligible subdivisions that have not yet completed participation forms may?email the Department?for additional instructions. However, the deadline to participate and receive direct payments is May 2, 2023.

The more than $446 million that Michigan is eligible to receive over the life of the settlements is dependent, in part, on the participation of local governments. Spending priority would be placed on treatment and prevention.