What If…My Adult Child is in an Accident?
Once your child turns 18, your parental rights as their Natural Guardian end. This means that you no longer have the legal rights to access their medical records, make health care and financial decisions, or access their school records.
An example of the importance of medical planning for your adult children is the Virginia Tech school shooting. Frantic parents called hospitals to locate their children, but hospitals were unable to tell them anything because the parents did not have the proper legal forms to receive information on their adult child.
Similarly, if your adult child was in an accident and incapacitated in the hospital, you would need the proper legal forms to make medical decisions on their behalf.
There are several legal documents you will want to consider: HIPPA form, a Health Care and Financial Power of Attorney, and a Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) waiver. A HIPAA form will allow access to their medical information, a Health Care Power of Attorney and a Financial Power of Attorney to make medical and financial decisions on behalf of your child, if they are unable to make them on their own. Finally, a FERPA waiver will allow access to your child’s student records.
Let Attorney Michael Yeager of Yeager Law help you prepare for some of the “What ifs” in life. Call (661) 471-2177 to schedule a free no-obligation in-office or virtual consultation. www.Yeager.law
Estate Planning Checklist
• Durable Power of Attorney for property management. This gives the person that you designate the power to take personal actions for you.
• Advance Health Care Directive, sometimes called a Health Care Power of Attorney. These documents spell out instructions for your medical treatment should you become incapacitated and unable to make those decisions for yourself. They also give you the opportunity to say whether you want to undergo use of life support or participate in organ donation.
• Living trust. This legal document places your assets into a trust for your benefit while you're alive and then transfers remaining assets to your designated beneficiaries after you pass away. Trusts are overseen in accordance with your wishes and by the trustee you select.
• Will. A will allows you to identify the people or organizations that will receive your assets after you die. It also allows you to designate an "executor," who is legally responsible for making sure your outstanding debts and taxes are paid and then distributing the rest to the heirs you've identified.
For help with your estate planning needs, “Just Ask Mike”. Call (661) 471-2177 to schedule an in-office or virtual consultation with Attorney Michael Yeager of Yeager Law. www.Yeager.law
There's no such thing as a one size fits all estate plan! Each estate plan should fit the specific needs of the individual. If you have questions about whether or not an estate plan is for you, get the answers to all of your questions by calling (661) 471-2177 to speak with Attorney Michael Yeager of Yeager Law, and "Just Ask Mike". After all, it's OK to have questions, but it's better to have answers. www.Yeager.law
5 Crazy & Unusual Wills
A will provides one last chance for the deceased to act upon the living and let them (and the world) know how they feel. Here are five unusual final messages:
Gene Roddenberry - The creator of Star Trek was cremated and his remains were later launched into space aboard three different space missions.
Mark Gruenwald - The executive editor of Marvel Comics requested his ashes be blended with ink and used to print a 12-issue mini-series.
Countess Carlotta Liebenstein - This German Countess loved her dog more than people, so she left her mansion and $80 million fortune to Gunter III, her dog.
Fredric Baur - The inventor of the Pringles can requested he be cremated and buried in a Pringles can.
Charles Vance Millar - Known to enjoy a good joke, this Canadian lawyer left his Jamaican vacation home in the joint custody of three people who hated one another.
As you can see, a will can be a powerful tool that allows the deceased to express their last wishes and values. What will yours say? Contact Michael Yeager of Yeager Law at (661) 471-2177 and get the process started. www.Yeager.law
For answers to all of your estate planning questions, call Michael Yeager of Yeager Law at (661) 471-2177, to schedule a virtual consultation. www.Yeager.law
