Even 18-Year-Olds Needs an Estate Plan

If your teenager will soon turn 18, it is an important time to discuss estate planning with your child and with your Canton estate planning lawyer. Many people wrongly assume that estate planning is only for elderly adults or those with chronic illnesses, and it is appropriate to put off estate planning until you are much older. In fact, there are several key reasons that very young adults should work with an estate planning lawyer.

For many Connecticut residents in their 40s and 50s, it may still feel like it was not so long ago that you were joining the workforce or heading to college. Whether your child will be graduating from high school and moving out of your home to begin working or attending college and living on campus, your child should have advance directives and a power of attorney in place. Our Canton estate planning attorneys can explain in more detail.

Medical Issues and the Need for a Parent to Make Important Decisions 

Nobody wants to think about their college student being involved in an accident and becoming incapacitated such that they cannot voice their own decisions about their health care. However, it is important to plan for the unexpected and to be prepared in the event an accident does occur. For a parent to be able to find out details about an adult child’s health care, or to make health care decisions on an adult child’s behalf, certain documents will need to be in place.

For a parent to be able to speak with a doctor or other health care provider about their child’s medical condition, the child will need to have completed a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) form that names the parent (or parents) as someone to whom health information can be disclosed. For a parent to be able to make health care decisions on an adult child’s behalf in the event of the child’s incapacity, the child must have appointed the parent as a health care representative.

Your child should also create a living will so that their health care wishes can be honored in the event that their injuries result in them being placed on life support.

Power of Attorney for Decision-Making Purposes 

In the event your child becomes incapacitated for a period of time, you may need to access their bank account to handle any financial matters on their behalf. In order for you to be able to do this, your child will need to create a power of attorney in which you are named as an agent authorized to act on their behalf in the event of their incapacity.

Contact a Canton Estate Planning Lawyer 

Do you have a teenage child who will soon be moving out or leaving for college? Now is a great time to discuss estate planning for your child with an experienced Connecticut estate planning attorney at the Law Office of Brian S. Karpe. We can speak with you today about your 18-year-old’s estate planning needs, and we can help to get all of the necessary documents in place in the event that the unexpected occurs. Contact us for assistance.

Sources:

cdc.gov/phlp/php/resources/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-of-1996-hipaa.html#:~:text=The%20Health%20Insurance%20Portability%20and,Rule%20to%20implement%20HIPAA%20requirements

cga.ct.gov/2023/pub/title_45a.htm

portal.ct.gov/dmhas/programs-and-services/advocacy/advance-directives