Two Crucial Documents That College Students Need

Is your “baby” going away to college? Or, has he/she recently gone away to college? If so, you’ve no doubt spent a lot of time poring over lists lately, to determine what’s a “want” and what’s a “need.” And you’ve probably – singlehandedly - made the post-it companies rich.

You’ve been planning – and if you’re like I was, dreading – this day for a couple of years. And you’ve most likely been saving for it for a lot longer than that.

So, chances are, you’re prepared. But, in this crazy world in which we live, there are some things for which you just can’t prepare…such as accidents or other tragedies.

That’s why you need to have your children sign two critical documents.

If your child is already 18, you already know that, legally, he/she is an adult. And because of federal privacy laws, the college he/she is attending generally can’t divulge medical information to you.

That’s why any child going away to school should sign a Health Care Proxy and HIPAA authorization. This way, if tragedy or illness strikes, you’ll be able to get the information you need. It doesn’t matter if you gave birth to that child. You won’t be able to get any information on his health status unless there’s a signed HIPAA authorization.

What happens if there’s an accident, and your child ends up in a coma? Who’s going to be the child’s voice? If there’s no Health Care Proxy, you may have to go to court to get a guardianship designation so you can make decisions for your child. Tragedy, though, has its own timetable. And going to court could cost you preciously if it takes too much time.

Remember Terry Schiavo?

If you’ve got questions about this, we can answer them.

At The Law Offices of Alice Reiter Feld & Associates, we get asked questions like this all the time. In fact, we’ve been answering questions like these from South Florida families for the past 33 years. And we’ve been helping them secure their own futures as well as their children’s…with comprehensive estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, long-term care planning, asset-protection plans, and assistance with Medicaid and the VA.

We can answer your questions. And we’re only a phone call away.