What Is a Power of Attorney?

A Power of Attorney is a legal document in which a person (the “principal”) gives another person (the “agent”) the power to perform acts on the principal’s behalf. A Power of Attorney is usually needed if the principal becomes ill or incapacitated and unable to make decisions or manage their own affairs. A Healthcare Power of Attorney gives the principal’s agent the power to make health care decisions on behalf of the principal, while a Durable Power of Attorney allows the agent to manage the principal’s assets and finances and do anything else the principal could have done if he or she was able.

What Are Healthcare Directives?

Healthcare Directives are documents that “direct” health care providers about your wishes. A Healthcare Power of Attorney gives the agent you choose the authority to make your medical decisions if you cannot make them yourself. You should also have separate HIPAA Authorization that permits your health care providers to share your protected health care information (HIPAA) with your health care agent. A Living Will informs your medical providers the types of actions you want to be taken in the event you are in a persistent vegetative state or suffering from a terminal condition.  This can include the decision to be taken off of life support.

Hire the Neal Law Firm to Prepare Your Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Directives

The Neal Law Firm can prepare your Durable Power of Attorney and/or Healthcare Directives individually or as part of a complete flat fee estate planning package. Learn more about our fixed fee estate plans for every family. If you’ve already got a plan but just need to revise a few documents, we can prepare a Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney and Healthcare Directives (Healthcare Power of Attorney, HIPAA Authorization and Living Will) individually

As always, if you have questions about Powers of Attorney or Healthcare Directives please call the Neal Law Firm at (480) 699-7992. We don’t charge for answers to quick questions about estate planning. Learn more about the estate planning services we provide.

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