August 19, 2019
Last week we posted about the important roles to consider when planning your estate, but did you know that many of those same documents are also beneficial to your college student? A General Durable Power of Attorney, HIPPA authorization, and Health Care Proxy Form may be very useful to you and your adult child once they’re off to school, here’s how:
A general durable power of attorney will allow you to handle your adult child’s financial and legal matters if they become incapacitated or unable to do so themselves (studying abroad overseas). Authorizations includes managing bank accounts, breaking a lease, paying bills, etc.
A HIPPA Authorization form is necessary in the unfortunate event that your child has been admitted to hospital and is unable to contact you. Without a HIPPA authorization form, the hospital is not authorized to provide you with information regarding your child’s condition. To avoid this unfortunate circumstance, have your adult child sign a HIPPA authorization form, naming you as an authorized party, granting you access to their medical information.
A health care proxy, also known as a health care power of attorney, is useful in that it gives you the right to participate in the health care decisions for your adult child. Whereas the HIPPA authorization form authorizes you to be informed of medical conditions and status, the health care proxy document gives you the right to make informed decisions regarding their medical treatment.
If you are in need of legal representation or would like to speak with an attorney with regard to preparation of the above documents, or any other trusts and estate matters, you can call the Boston Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service at 617-742-0625, connect with an area lawyer online 24/7 by clicking “Get Started” here, or by submitting an email request online today.
