National Healthcare Decisions Day 2018

“It always seems too early, until it’s too late.”
(National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) website: www.nhdd.org)

We could not agree more with the sentiment expressed in the above quote from the NHDD website. When it comes to creating advance planning documents for one’s future healthcare, we often hear individuals say that “it is too early for them to think about that,” or they say, “I will get around to it, one of these days.” The reality is that we never know when an illness or accident may lead to our incapacity. The good news, though, is that we can be proactive and plan ahead by creating an advance directive, prior to a personal healthcare crisis. In Illinois, the most common advance directive for healthcare is a durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (POAHC). This is the legal document that individuals use to select the person that they wish to be their voice for healthcare decisions, if they are ever unable to speak for themselves. By creating a POAHC now (while competent), individuals increase the chances that their healthcare wishes will be followed and that they will receive medical treatment in accordance with their wishes, should they ever be incapacitated,

This year NHDD is encouraging others to join in recognizing the importance of, and/or promoting NHDD throughout the entire week of April 16 – 22, rather than on just one day.  According to NHDD website (www.nhdd.org), NHDD “exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning. NHDD is an initiative to encourage patients to express their wishes regarding healthcare and for providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be.” Additional information about NHDD 2018 and the themes for each day of NHDD Week can be found on the NHDD website.

The Elder Law Center, P.C. is pleased and honored to, once again, join with other national, state, and community organizations to lead a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making.  As a participating organization, it is our pleasure to provide information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends, and healthcare providers, and to execute a written advance directive in accordance with Illinois state laws.  Specifically, throughout the month of April, the Elder Law Center, P.C. will be offering members of the community a unique opportunity to meet, on a complimentary basis with one of the following attorneys: Katie Lenert, Rick Petesch, or Connie Renzi, at our office located at 140 S. Municipal Dr., Sugar Grove, Illinois 60554.  At the conclusion of the informational appointment, individuals (who meet the Illinois statutory requirements) will have the option of working with the attorney to create and execute, free of charge, an Illinois durable Power of Attorney for Health Care specifically for them. The available appointments are limited, and will be scheduled on a first call, first serve basis.  For additional information about, and details, regarding our April 2018 NHDD event, see the attached flyer by clicking the following link:   Flyer

The Elder Law Center, P.C. (subsidiary of Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi & Andersson, P.C., www.mickeywilson.com) is located in Sugar Grove, IL, Kane County, in the Chicago Western Suburbs, phone number: 630-844-0065.

 

National Healthcare Decisions Day 2016

Today is “National Healthcare Decisions Day!”  What is National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD)?  According to the “National Healthcare Decisions Day” website (www.nhdd.org), “National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to inspire, educate, and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.”  In other words, it is a day dedicated to educating others as to the available options for creating the appropriate legal documents to ensure that their wishes regarding their healthcare will be carried out, should there come a time when they are no longer able to express their wishes.

The attorneys and staff at our office are, and have been, extremely passionate about the importance of advance planning for healthcare decision-making for anyone over age 18. It was out of this passion and strong belief that all competent persons over age 18 should have access to the information necessary to understand and create a Durable Powers of Attorney for Healthcare that we celebrated NHDD 2016 earlier this week.  We celebrated by hosting a community event to educate Illinois residents.  Not only was it an inspiring day for our office, it was truly our pleasure to host this event and to meet with attendees to “inspire, educate, and empower” all those who attended to be pro-active regarding their healthcare planning.  We are grateful to, and thank, all who attended the event.  In addition, we thank and salute our staff for going above and beyond to ensure that the event was a huge success.  If you missed the event, and would like to receive general information regarding the Illinois statutory Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Thus, we wish each of you a very Happy National Healthcare Decisions Day 2016!  To those of you who already have your planning in place, we encourage you to inspire others to do the same.  To those of you who do not, we encourage you seek the information you need and delay no more in creating an advance healthcare plan for yourself.  Remember though, the available legal documents and the legal requirements for creating such documents will vary from state to state.  Thus, it is important to seek specific legal advice in your state to be sure that any documents that you create will, if ever needed, be effective.

The Elder Law Center, P.C. (subsidiary of Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi & Andersson, P.C., http://www.mickeywilson.com) is located in Aurora, IL, Kane County, in the Chicago Western Suburbs, phone number: 630-844-0065.

Illinois Again Revises Statutory Health Care Power of Attorney Form

If you are an Illinois resident, then you may already be aware that as of January 1, 2016 there is yet another new version of the Illinois Health Care Power of Attorney (HCPOA) statutory form now in effect.  Some of you may be wondering why Illinois keeps revising this form.  It seems that, as of late, revisions to Illinois’ statutory  HCPOA form have been frequent.   By way of background, the HCPOA statutory form has evolved and been tweaked over many years.  Then, in 2015, an unexpected and substantial revision to the form was rolled out, and less than a year later, legislation had already been passed (which took effect on January 1, 2016) to correct several major issues of concern with the 2015 form.  In our opinion, the new changes are a vast improvement over the 2015 version.  Although the 2016 changes significantly improve the 2015 version, one might argue that there still remains room for improvement.  That being said, here are a few of the key, positive changes to the 2016 version of the HCPOA statutory form:

• The principal’s designation of the agent as guardian, should one later be required, has been added back into the form. For some unknown reason (perhaps simply an unintentional oversight), this provision was removed from the 2015 form.
• The designation of successor agents has been relocated to a more logical place within the form. The location of this provision in the 2015 form was quite problematic, as it appeared after the signatures of both the principal and the witness.
• Another significant change is that the 2016 version of the form now includes a third, and new, statutory option as to when the agent is permitted to act on behalf of the principal. The new, additional option reads as follows: “Make decisions for me only when I cannot make them for myself. The physician(s) taking care of me will determine when I lack this ability. Starting now, for the purpose of assisting me with my health care plans and decisions, my agent shall have complete access to my medical and mental health records, the authority to share them with others as needed, and the complete ability to communicate with my personal physician(s) and other health care providers, including the ability to require an opinion of my physician as to whether I lack the ability to make decisions for myself.” The 2015 version included two somewhat extreme options, which for many proved to be quite confusing. Both of these options remain in the new form.  The addition of the third option appears to be an attempt to bridge the gap between the extremes of the other two options, by offering a more a middle of the road option.  Thus, if using the statutory form, these three options should be carefully considered; and if need be prior to completing the form, advice should be obtained to ensure that the legal impact of each option is fully understood.
• The 2016 version now includes language which allows an agent the authority to continue an application or appeal of government benefits post-death, if no probate representative is appointed. This, too,  is a significant and positive addition to the form, as this provision will allow an agent to continue to pursue government benefits (such as Medicaid for long-term care) when the principal has no funds remaining and the opening of a probate estate is not, otherwise, necessary and/or practical.

Many Illinois residents are, also, now wondering whether the Illinois statutory HCPOA which they previously created is still valid; or whether they should create a new one that complies with the most recent set of changes. The good news is the recent statutory changes include a “savings clause.”  As such, an existing, otherwise valid, statutory HCPOA executed prior to January 1, 2016 remains valid and in effect.  However, for those who created a HCPOA using an “unaltered” version of the 2015 Illinois statutory form, we encourage you to seek advice to determine whether updating to the revised 2016 Illinois statutory form is recommended for you.  For those, who created their HCPOA using a pre-2015 version of the statutory form, unless you wish to change your HCPOA for other reasons (such as to change your agents, change the effective date, etc.), your current HCPOA will more likely than not continue to meet your needs.  For those who have not yet created a HCPOA then we, of course, encourage you to do so, as there is no better time than the present to create a HCPOA.

Quite simply, the bottom line is that the 2016 revisions to the Illinois statutory HCPOA are a move in the right direction.  Although executing a new form is not required,  Illinois residents, who used an “unaltered” 2015 version of the form, are encouraged to seek legal advice as to whether updating to the new 2016 form is recommended for them.  For those who have any question at all about their current HCPOA, regardless of whether it was created using the 2015 form or a pre-2015 form,  we likewise encourage those persons to seek specific legal advice for their particular circumstance.

©Copyright 2016 by Constance Burnett Renzi. All rights reserved.

The Elder Law Center, P.C. (subsidiary of Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi & Andersson, P.C., http://www.mickeywilson.com) is located in Aurora, IL, Kane County, in the Chicago Western Suburbs, phone number: 630-844-0065.

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