Does your college student have a Health Care Directive? Have you recently sent a student off to college or are you preparing to do so? If so, consider having your student execute a Heath Care Directive.
Health Care Directives serve many purposes. First, they designate an agent to make medical decisions. Second, in Georgia, they include a HIPPA release which allows the agent access to medical information. In addition, Health Care Directives allow an individual to provide treatment preferences to their agent or medical providers.
As a result of my personal experience, I recommend having students execute a Health Care Directive when they reach 18 years of age naming their parents as agents. This allows the parents to continue to communicate with the student’s physician to schedule appointments, obtain test results, etc. In addition, in the event of a medical crises, the directive is in place. Once your student graduates college and marries or becomes involved in a relationship, they should execute a new directive.
I recommend working with an attorney to prepare and execute a Health Care Directive; however, they can be found online. If you choose to prepare a Health Care Directive without the assistance of an attorney, be sure to read the instructions regarding who can serve as witnesses and to execute the document properly.
We work with individuals and families developing estate plans. Each individual’s needs are unique and this article only addresses one aspect of estate planning, a health care directive. For more detailed information and to discuss your specific case, call us today at (678)781-9230 or email us at sgrissom@grissomlawfirm.com to schedule an appointment.
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This Blog/Web Site is made available for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and Grissom Law, LLC.