Estate Planning Steps in Florida You Need to Take Before Your Teen Turns 18

Many parents are excited to see their teens reach legal adulthood. Perhaps your young adult is about to head to college, enter military service, or start full-time work after graduating from high school. Although this is an exciting time, legal adulthood also carries numerous legal implications that can affect estate planning. For more information on the steps you should take before your teen turns 18, consider speaking with an experienced estate planning lawyer in St. Petersburg.

Discuss Medical Decisions With Your Teen

As long as your teen remains under the age of 18, you can make medical decisions on their behalf. But what happens after they turn 18? At this point, they become a legal adult under Florida law, and you cease to have any power over their medical decisions. This is something you might want to discuss with your teen as they approach their 18th birthday.

When this day comes, your teen could create various estate planning tools that give you decision-making authority over their healthcare decisions. These powers go into effect after your teen becomes incapacitated.

For example, your teen might get into a car accident and become comatose. At this point, you might want to play an active role in the medical decision-making process. However, you have no legal authority to make these decisions if your teen is 18.

Fortunately, there are ways to address this issue. The most obvious strategy is to have your child name you as their “healthcare surrogate.” This simple form designates you as the person who will make decisions on your child’s behalf after they become incapacitated.

You might also want to discuss advance directives with your teen. This allows your child to make decisions about their medical preferences ahead of time. For example, they can choose not to receive a blood transfusion if this is against their faith. Your teen might also decide how long they want to remain on life support if they ever fall into a coma.

Sign HIPAA Releases

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures the confidentiality of your young adult’s medical records. While this doesn’t affect your access to your child’s medical information before they turn 18, you may lose this access after your teen becomes a legal adult. You can address this issue by asking your teen to sign HIPAA release forms, which allow continued access.

Remove Yourself From the Title of Your Teen’s Vehicle 

If you purchased a vehicle for your teen, you might still be on the title. If this is the case, you could theoretically become a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit if your teen ever crashes. As a result, it makes sense to remove yourself from the title of the vehicle if possible.

Can a St. Petersburg Estate Planning Attorney Help Me? 

Although online research can help you prepare for the day your teen becomes a legal adult, each family has unique needs and priorities. A consultation with an estate planning attorney in St. Petersburg could offer more opportunities to discuss these priorities and receive targeted guidance. Contact Drude Tomori Law today to expand on this conversation.

Source: 

cdc.gov/phlp/php/resources/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-of-1996-hipaa.html