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The Legal Checklist Every Student Should Have
Once your child turns 18, you no longer have automatic access to their grades, financial accounts, or even medical information in the event of an emergency. Preparing a legal plan for your college student now can help prevent unnecessary legal hurdles later. By talking through what access you’ll need and setting up the proper authorizations, you can ensure peace of mind for both you and your child.
Basic, Yet Crucial, Estate Planning Documents
Healthcare Directive with HIPPA Authorization — Many parents assume that if their college student needs medical or mental health care, they’ll be contacted right away and able to make decisions—but that’s not the case. Once your child becomes 18 years of age, he or she is protected by HIPPA laws. This means health care professionals cannot provide medical information without your child’s signed consent, even though your child may still be on your health insurance. If there is no signed HIPPA release at the time, then you may need a court order to be able to access your child’s health information.
A Healthcare Directive appoints you as an agent that can make medical decisions on behalf of your child in the event he or she becomes ill or incapacitated.
It is important to remember that each university or college may have its own form of medical release documents as well. While these documents are no substitute for a Healthcare Directive, signing the school’s documents in advance will likely speed up the process of assisting your child in his or her healthcare needs.
Power of Attorney — Similar to a healthcare directive, a durable power of attorney appoints an agent to make financial and legal decisions on behalf of the individual. This can allow you to have access to your child’s finances, including bank accounts, scholarship funds, rental agreements, and insurance matters, to name a few.
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