Posts in category: Living Will

Like all estate planning documents, there are certain circumstances that call for you to update your living will. Making sure that your estate planning materials are regularly updated will ensure that if something happens to you that your plan will be followed. Update your living will in the following circumstances:

• There has been a recent change in health care laws.
• There have been new changes in medical technology that you do or do not want considered as part of your future care.
• There are new changes or limits on medical care to meet your ability to pay.
• You are responding to the death of a significant other or loved one.
• You have recently moved to a new state.
• There have been changes in your health, such as a terminal diagnosis, pregnancy, hospitalization or need for surgery.
• You need to designate a different person to make health care decisions for you.
• You have changes in your beliefs and desires regarding end of life care.

In all of these circumstances, working with the right estate planning attorney is strongly recommended to ensure that you have considered all of the most important issues and set yourself up for the future. Do not hesitate to communicate with an experienced and qualified lawyer as soon as you can to protect your interests in full with a living will.

Our Virginia Beach, VA estate planning lawyer is familiar with all aspects of planning ahead for your future with power of attorney documents. When you hire a lawyer, you can work on a personalized strategy designed to help you accomplish your primary goals.

A will is one of the most important components of your estate plan. You can accomplish many estate planning goals by creating a will, but you may also need to supplement it with other documents. One such example is a living will.

You should always discuss your will, a living will, revocable living trusts and other estate planning tools directly with an estate planning lawyer to determine what is most appropriate for addressing your needs. Your will is set up to be executed after you pass away. It names things, such as a guardian for any minor children, and what you would like to happen to the assets that you own. However, this still leaves many questions to be answered about handling issues that come up while you’re still alive.

A living will is a document that can help to address this by giving your caregivers directions about your wishes in the event of an incapacitating event, and any end of life decisions that might require action without your input.

Your living will should be drafted with your specific wishes in mind, but like all other estate planning documents, should also follow state laws. This ensures that your document is treated as legally valid at the time of need.

If you have questions about the kinds of decisions that might need to be included in your living will, it’s a good idea to work directly with your physician or medical professional, and then take the information that you learn from that meeting to your estate planning lawyer. An estate planning lawyer in VA can help you understand any specific state level rules for executing this document effectively.