Going away for college or sending your child off for college to another city or state can be both exciting and difficult. What if there were extra steps you could take to make sure that your child is protected when they go to college? Great news, there is! When your child goes to college, you should make sure that they have two things (other than a suitcase): a durable power of attorney and a health care surrogate.

A durable power of attorney can allow your child to choose another person to act on their behalf for their finances. Your child can choose you to be the one to access their bank account or other finances in the event they cannot do so themselves or if they so choose.

A health care surrogate is a type of advanced directive that is in some ways similar to a durable power of attorney but deals with health instead of finances. In the event that something bad happens, and your child cannot speak on their own behalf, a health care surrogate (in this case you if they choose you) would be authorized to make medical decisions for them. If your child does not have a health care surrogate in place, it is not certain that the person they would like to make decisions for you will be able to without having to go to court and establish a guardianship.

These documents are extremely important because once your child turns 18, you can no longer make decisions for them. You do not want to make a bad situation worse by not having control over important decisions in your child’s life. While it can definitely be a scary thought, it is better to have both of these documents set in place rather than to need them and not have them at a critical time.

It is important to execute both of these documents with a Florida estate planning attorney. If these documents are not executed properly, then they may not be accepted by banks or hospitals and risk having no effect.

Can The Florida Medicaid Planning & Elder Law Firm Help Me Set Up a Health Surrogate and a Durable Power of Attorney?

We absolutely can. Take care of your loved ones and call our experienced attorneys to help you create a health surrogate and a durable power of attorney! Partner with a knowledgeable Florida Estate Planning Attorney today.

The Florida Medicaid Planning & Elder Law Firm has a team of experienced Estate Planning and Elder attorneys. As attorneys who have extensive knowledge in Estate Planning law, we understand it can be a time-consuming and complicated process. If you are currently in need of an advanced directive or durable power of attorney, contact us to set up an appointment to evaluate your options. We serve the entire state of Florida – call us at (954) 999-9683 or email us at info@flmpel.com.