The dorm room is set up, classes have started, and your student is settling into a new routine. But one important item may have been left off the college checklist: making sure you can help if something goes wrong.
Once your child turns 18, you no longer automatically have the legal authority to make medical decisions, access certain medical information, or handle financial matters on their behalf. If your college student is unexpectedly hospitalized or unable to manage their affairs, you could face difficult decisions without the authority you need to help.
A few important documents can help avoid that situation.
Health care Power of Attorney allows your student to name someone to make medical decisions if they are unable to make those decisions themselves; or
HIPAA Authorization can permit health care providers to share specified health information with the people your student chooses; and
Financial Power of Attorney can authorize a trusted person to handle certain financial matters within the document’s limits.
Without these documents, parents may discover that being the parent of an adult child does not necessarily give them the access or authority they assumed.
Your student should make these decisions before an emergency occurs. Talk with your young adult about who they would want involved, what authority they are comfortable giving, and where the documents will be kept. It is also worth checking whether their college or university requires separate information-release forms.
If this conversation got lost in the move-in rush, you still have time. Don’t wait until an emergency occurs to find out you don’t have the authority to help. Pickrel, Schaeffer & Ebeling can help you put the right documents in place before you need them.
Contact Jacob Frizado at 937-223-1130 or jfrizado@pselaw.com to get started.
