Imagine, you are on your way to a week long vacation in
paradise. Your children are safely with Grandma and Grandpa. Safe that is, until young
Henry falls off of his bike and breaks his leg. Of course, you have no
knowledge he has broken his leg because you are mid-flight to your vacation
destination. What are Grandma and Grandpa to do? They cannot leave Henry with a
broken leg until you can be reached. So, they decide to take Henry to the
emergency room. When they arrive at the ER, they are presented with several
forms to review, complete, and sign. Here lies the problem: Henry is a minor
and his grandparents do not have legal authority to make medical decisions for
him. Henry will have to wait until his parents, his legal guardians, are
available to be reached and consent to his medical care and treatment.
This situation could be easily avoided with a simple estate
planning directive called a Special Durable Power of Attorney. This directive
allows you to designate an Agent(s) for your minor child that has been left in
the Agent(s) care. The Special Durable Power of Attorney allows the Agent(s) to
perform and consent to decisions for purposes of providing care, shelter,
clothing, education, and medical assistance for your minor child while they are
in their custody.
If you have minor child and do not currently have a
Special Durable Power of Attorney in place, have no estate planning, or it has
been at least three years since you reviewed your existing estate plan, please
feel free to contact our office to schedule an appointment with one of our
experienced attorneys. Feel free to
attend our signature workshop, "The Truth About Estate
Planning." Bring a friend and
receive Straight Talk - The Truth About
Estate Planning, a complimentary book written by Peggy Hoyt, one of our
founding attorneys.
For more information or to schedule an appointment,
call our office at (407) 977-8080 or visit our website at www.HoytBryan.com.
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