Student Forms

It has been a long journey of high school classes, AP exams, SAT and ACT exams, college applications and the time has finally come to head off to college. You’ve made lists of everything you need for your dorm room, clothes you want to take to college, books and supplies needed for classes, but have you considered the legal forms you will need if you get sick or have an emergency while you are away from home? Turning 18 comes with many new rights as you enter adulthood, but it also means parents have limited access to information or ability to make decisions, should there be an emergency. With a bit of planning and yes more paperwork you can prepare for any possible emergency.

Taking the time to plan ahead for possible emergencies not only insures that you will be prepared to deal with anything that may happen it provides an opportunity for parents and students to have insightful discussions about how any emergency should be handled. Medical emergencies and illnesses are the most common issues that require advanced preparation. There are two forms every student should prepare prior to heading off to college; a Health Care Directive and HIPAA Authorization Form.

A Healther Care Directive allows an individual to designate who they would want making health care decisions for them in the event they are incapacitated or unable to make these decisions. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) protects
individuals from the disclosure of their health care information without their consent.
In the event of a health emergency, without a HIPAA Authorization Form a student’s medical information will not be shared with a parent, guardian or other health care decision maker. Each state has indivualized requirements for these forms and many states provide these forms on their Secretary of State websites.