25 Jul 3 Legal Documents All College Students Need

Preparing to send a student off to college is equally as exciting as it is challenging. From a toaster to toiletries, you want to make sure your student has everything they need to leave the nest and head out on their own. However, the independence that comes with coming of age and heading off to college could have unforeseeable consequences if you and your student don’t have proper legal documents in place.

When someone turns 19 in the state of Nebraska, they are a legal adult. This means their parents are no longer able to make legal or medical decisions for them. So, if a college student were to have a medical emergency or become incapacitated, their parents can’t make legal or medical decisions on their behalf. This potential chaos is avoidable, however, if families have the following legal documents in place.

1. Healthcare Power of Attorney

As previously explained, once a student is a legal adult, they are responsible for making their own medical decisions. Being in charge of medical decisions has its advantages. Parents will no longer have to be called to approve a flu shot at the campus doctor’s office, for example. However, if a student were to become incapacitated, someone will have to make medical decisions for them. For this reason, students need to designate a healthcare power of attorney. A designated healthcare power of attorney is able to make medical decisions for someone who is incapacitated. By having your student designate you as their healthcare power of attorney, you can avoid having a stranger in charge of their medical decisions.

2. HIPPA Form

Students should also sign a HIPPA form before heading off to college. HIPPA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This form allows doctors to share medical information about a patient with designated people. Without this form, you would receive limited knowledge about your student’s condition if a medical emergency occurred, even though you are family.

3. Durable Power of Attorney

A durable power of attorney document is also important for college students to have. Designating a durable power of attorney is important because it gives parents the ability to sign documents on the student’s behalf. So, if  a student were to become incapacitated, you could sign documents, such as their apartment lease, on their behalf. A durable power of attorney also has access to financial accounts.

By creating these 3 legal documents, you will not only gain peace of mind, but can rest assured that your student is prepared for anything that comes their way.