MISSOURI, USA — Your life can be changed in an instant: A sudden stroke, a car crash, an out-of-nowhere accident.
Moments when you are no longer able to speak for yourself can spur confusion among a spouse, siblings, and children about who has the final say about what's best for you. Two legal documents, the Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare and the Healthcare Directive, are employed when someone can't make their own medical decisions and specify who can make said decisions on the person's behalf.
Usually, creating or updating the documents comes with hefty legal fees. 5 On Your Side viewer Barbara, however, heard she could do it for free in Missouri.
"Is it true in the state of Missouri you can get your health care directive and durable power of attorney for healthcare completed for free, without hiring an attorney?" Barbara asked 5 On Your Side.
We dug into the facts to VERIFY.
The question
Can Missourians complete power of attorney and healthcare directive documents for free without hiring an attorney?
Our sources
- Megan Phillips, President of the Missouri Bar Association
- John Gunn, an estate attorney with The Gunn Law Firm
The answer
Yes, Missourians can get their power of attorney and healthcare directive documents done for free online.
What we found
First, let's define these documents:
- The durable power of attorney for healthcare names a trusted person to oversee your medical care.
- A healthcare directive lays out what medical actions should be taken when you can't speak for yourself, like being put on a ventilator or feeding tube.
Both of the above documents are provided online by the Missouri Bar Association, leaving only the blanks to be filled in. Click here to access them.
"I think the form is wonderful and I use it regularly. Anytime I do an estate plan, that is our go-to healthcare directive and durable power of attorney for healthcare," Gunn said.
After completing the form, you will have to pay money to have it notarized and have the document signed by two witnesses, preferably unrelated to you. Then, all you have to do is make sure the form gets into the right hands.
"They ought to give them to the agents that they name in the document, their PCP, and any medical facility where they may have any care or interaction within the foreseeable future," Gunn said.
We can VERIFY: Yes, Missourians can gain access to power of attorney and healthcare directive forms for free online.
Illinois' residents can also access these free forms through the Department of Public Health. Click here to find those Illinois forms and more.