Another year, another round of ice here in McKinney, Texas. Please drive carefully, don’t be one of the families who lose people to car accidents.
McKinney is a wealthy town in a wealthy county. The Wikipedia page states that McKinney is in Collin County and is ranked 44th of all counties in the United States according to the 2010 Census. No. 1 in Texas. Average income $80,504. Being ranked that high isn’t an accident, and it took a lot of work. And Planning!
That includes PROTECTING THOSE YOU LOVE AND CARE FOR!
ICE (In Case of Emergency) is an important part of protection.
Add an ICE app to your child’s phone. Add an ICE (In Case of Emergency) to the home page of your child’s phone that lists your contact information and also create an ICE listing in his or her phone contacts with this information. Your child is much more likely to always have their phone with them than to carry a printed card or document.
Check out the ICE app called Smart911 on the iTunes Store
Or go old school and simply put a label on the back of their phone or its case with ICE info on it!
Remember, once a child turns 18, they are no longer considered a child in the eyes of the law, and you no longer have the legal right to access their health care, school or banking records without their permission.
Here are some other steps you should take before your child leaves the nest that will help ensure your peace of mind and their safety:
Create a Medical Power of Attorney. Once your child is officially an adult, they need to have a medical power of attorney that will allow you to access their medical records and make medical decisions for them in case they become incapacitated. This is essential in case of an emergency.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). They will also need to sign a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) form that allows medical professionals to share information with you.
Use Phone technology. The American Bar Association recently released a free app for iPhone and Android that allows you to store an advance directive and other important documents on a smartphone. The app is called My HealthCare Wishes and is available from the iPhone App Store or on Google Play for Android devices. There are also online solutions like DocuBank.com that stores medical records and allows those to be accessed by medical professionals anywhere in the world.
Estate Planning Inventory. Track all assets on the phone. MegaTech makes an app which allows you to store an inventory of your assets. You would be surprised how convenient this can be. Quicken and their app rocks as well: http://www.quicken.com/stay-connected-your-money
Have a good Holiday! Be safe! Drive Carefully!
Call us if you need us!
By Jac Schuster, an Estate Planning and Probate attorney in McKinney. Learn more at jacschuster.com.