As an Estate Planning Attorney, I try to always plan for the future. I work with clients to make sure they have a plan in place for every worst-case scenario. These plans include contingencies for personal and financial care, due to a permanent and/or temporary disability, that limits a person’s mental and/or physical capabilities. I carefully, and methodically, evaluate all the different legal documents a person may need based on their specific situation. My clients range in age from 35-90. People with children, assets, and spouses.
I missed planning for my college age son.
My son has many talents: Math, Science, and Music, oh and the ability to break his arm! He’s broken his arm tripping over the dog (age 3), jumping off the trampoline (age 8) and snowboarding (age 12). Each time, I was within driving distance of the emergency room. However, when he broke his wrist, while long-boarding (at 19), I was 10 hours away, by airplane, and 30 hours away by car.
The worst part?
He had to have emergency surgery because it was a compound fracture–the bone was poking out of the skin. His girlfriend called me to tell me what was going on but the doctors wouldn’t talk to me about anything because I wasn’t listed on his HIPAA and there wasn’t a Medical Power of Attorney in place.
It was a nightmare! My son is going into surgery and I couldn’t get any information. I couldn’t get information on the severity, the prognosis or anything. How could I, a man who plans for these situations, not have a plan in place for my son?
Needless to say, he is fine. He has some fancy hardware in his wrist now and a Medical Power of Attorney and HIPAA form listing me and my wife as his agents. We also put a Durable Power of Attorney in place so I could talk to the billing department and take care of his medical bills.
So as you get ready to send your, now legally adult, children off to school, make sure you have the right documents in place. Contact our office today and I will create customized Powers of Attorney and HIPAA forms at a discounted rate–$30.00 per document.
I pray you never need to use them, but hope you are prepared either way!
Here is a link for more helpful information about sending your children off to college- https://grownandflown.com/health-care-college-kids-freshman-year/
