Askin & Hooker, LLC is sponsoring a Guard Your Grad Event for new high school graduates and their parents to help them understand the importance of a Health Care Proxy and Durable Power of Attorney on June 25th. Proceeds from the event will benefit Pass It Along.
“Most parents don’t realize that in most states once a child turns 18 the parent or guardian no longer has the authority to make health care decisions or manage money for their children,” states Attorney Bill Askin. “This means, if a young adult is in an accident and becomes disabled, a parent might need court approval to act on his or her behalf or to gain access to important information.”
This upcoming event will help parents and graduates understand how to avoid these types of situations. The event will provide each young adult that participates with two very important legal documents: a Health Care Proxy and a Durable Power of Attorney.
There is a federal law known as HIPPA that protects patient information. This law prevents doctors, hospitals, and nurses, from disclosing any medical information to anyone, unless the patient (in this case the adult child) has specifically waived the protection and identified a parent as the authorized representative. A Health Care Proxy is a document which names a person to act on the child’s behalf to make healthcare decisions and to discuss treatment options if he/she becomes incapacitated. A living will is often paired with a Health Care Proxy and helps the proxy to make decisions in accordance with the child’s wishes.
The Durable Power of Attorney authorizes an agent (in this case the parent) to manage finances and sign legal documents on the child’s behalf if he/she becomes incapacitated. For young-adults this allows the designated agent to access bank accounts, manage their accounts and gain access to important documents.
“Even though your child may be on your insurance policy, unless important legal documents are signed by your child you will NOT be provided critical medical information should your child suffer an injury or accident while away at college,” states attorney Todd Hooker. This event will provide parents peace of mind and the guidance needed to plan properly so they can be made aware of medical information and have input into critical medical care for their children in the case of an emergency.
Register your Grad for the Guard Your Grad Event on June 25th: Register for Guard Your Grad