Before Sending Your Child Off to College: Some Key Documents Should Be Considered In the United States, as soon as a minor turns 18, they’re typically considered a legal adult.
As a result, parents no longer have any authority to make decisions for their child, including financial and health care decisions.
Yahoo’s recent article entitled “Don’t Let Your Child Leave for College Without Signing Three Critical Documents” asks what if your adult child becomes sick or is in an accident and ends up hospitalized?
Because of privacy laws, known as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), you wouldn’t have any rights to get any information from the hospital regarding your child's condition. Yes, we know you’re her mother. However, that’s the law!
You also wouldn’t have the ability to access his or her medical records or intercede on your child's behalf regarding medical treatment and care.
If your child’s unable to communicate with doctors, you’d also have to ask a judge to appoint you as your child’s guardian before being able to be told of his or her condition and to make any healthcare decisions for them.
While this is hard when your child is still living at home, it’s a huge headache if your child is attending college away from home.
However, there’s a relatively easy fix to address this issue:
Before sending your child off to college ask an experienced estate planning attorney about drafting three legal documents for your child to sign:
Reference: Yahoo (Aug. 2, 2022) “Don’t Let Your Child Leave for College Without Signing Three Critical Documents”
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