Your College Student and COVID-19: Five Must-Have Documents for Parents of Young Adults
For 18 years, you’ve been an advocate for your child’s medical, financial, academic, and legal concerns. It can come as a surprise, then, when your child turns 18, and suddenly you are no longer their agent in the eyes of the law. In order to have access to your child's medical, financial, and educational records, and be able to make crucial decisions for your young adult child should they be unable to do so, you need to have certain documents in place.
The need for the following documents has never been greater, as college campuses become new centers of COVID-19 transmission across the country, and positive cases among young adults in general are on the rise. Regardless of whether your young adult child is away at college, working, or living at home, these documents can be critical in case of emergency.
Medical
(1) HIPAA Authorization and (2) Designation of Patient Advocate
It is heart-stopping to imagine receiving news that your young adult child is in an emergency department somewhere far away. What is worse, however, is not being able to get answers about the status of your child’s condition—or even verification that your child is a patient—due to medical privacy laws. Parents of college-aged children need to be named on a HIPAA Authorization Form, which directs your child’s healthcare providers to share their confidential medical information with you. This form may prove especially helpful for parents seeking to get more information about their college student’s status in on-campus quarantine.
Should your child become incapacitated and unable to make decisions about their own medical care, you will need a Designation of Patient Advocate, also known as a healthcare power of attorney, to make clear to physicians that your child trusts you to make medical decisions for them.
Your young adult can ask their healthcare provider or university health services to include these important documents in their medical record.
Financial
(3) General Durable Power of Attorney
Your young adult child may still need some help with making various financial transactions, especially if they find themselves ill or needing to relocate quickly. A General Durable Power of Attorney would give you authority to make financial and legal decisions for your young adult and to engage in financial transactions on their behalf, including managing bank accounts, paying bills, filing taxes, applying for government benefits, and breaking a lease.
Educational
(4) Educational Records Release
If your young adult is a student, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives them privacy and control over their university-related information, including grades, disciplinary records, and medical records for on-campus healthcare. Parents will not be able to access this information without a Educational Records Release providing written consent from their college student. Even if you have no current concerns about your child’s educational progress, it can be helpful for parents to be able to access this information if things change.
Keeping These Documents Organized and Accessible
(5) Wallet Cards
Parents (or whoever is designated in each document) should keep the original(s), and young adults should have a copy. It is helpful for parents and even trusted friends or roommates to know where the copies are kept so that they can be easily accessed if needed.
Wallet cards from services such as DocuBank provide an easy way for parents and young adults to ensure that their documents are organized and easily accessible in the cloud. A wallet card includes a log-in that can be used by first responders and medical providers to access the HIPAA Authorization and Designation of Patient Advocate, as well as a list of emergency contacts and physicians, and information about health conditions, medications, and allergies. Docubank keeps a log of when the documents are accessed and by whom.
An Opportunity to Discuss Emergency Plans
Even in the best of times, the transition to young adulthood can be stressful for both parents and their kids. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults are faced with unprecedented challenges and high-stakes decisions as they stretch their wings and figure out how to be on their own for the first time. Parents—who may already be dealing with empty-nest syndrome—have an extra layer of pandemic concerns for their young adult children. This year, open communication between parents and their young adult children is more important than ever. Creating a plan with your child is an opportunity to talk about the important topics of healthcare decision-making, financial responsibility, and educational goals.
The 18+ Guidance Plan
Treetown Law, PLLC has created an 18+ Guidance Plan that includes the above five must-have documents for young adults. The 18+ Guidance Plan is included in the cost of Treetown’s Flat-Fee Comprehensive Family Protection and Legacy Plans and is also available as a standalone service. If you are a young adult or parent of a young adult child in Michigan or Illinois, don’t wait. Contact us and put these critical documents in place today.
