Make your Free Ohio Advance Directive

An Ohio Advance Directive (or "Declaration Governing Life-Sustaining Treatment") is a legal document that sets forth your preferences with regard to health care, such as your refusal of or request for a certain medical treatment, and/or the naming of a chosen healthcare agent.

The person making an Advance Directive is known as the "principal," and the individuals or organizations receiving authority to carry out the principal's wishes are called "agents." Designed for Ohio residents, this free Advance Directive is made for use in Hamilton County, Summit County, Cuyahoga County, and in all other counties throughout the state. Any Ohio Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be fully customized for your unique circumstances. As a result of having this official document, your medical providers will have a point of reference for your preferences, and your representative can offer proof that they have been authorized to act in your interest when you are not able.

It is quick and easy to set forth your medical preferences using a free Ohio Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your Advance Directive - Answer a few questions, and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Look over it with your healthcare agent or get legal help
3. Sign and make it legal - Required or not, witnesses and notarization are a best practice

This route is, in many cases, much less expensive and less time-consuming than meeting and hiring a conventional provider. If needed, you can start an Advance Directive on behalf of your spouse or another relative, and then have them sign it once you've drafted it. Keep in mind that for an Advance Directive to be accepted as legally valid, the principal must be mentally competent at the time of signing. If the principal is already unable to make their own decisions, a conservatorship generally will be required. When facing such a scenario, it's a good idea to speak to an attorney.

Anyone who is over 18 years old ought to have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Healthcare Power of Attorney and a Living Will). Although it is difficult to acknowledge, there might come a day when you are not able to make your own medical decisions. Here are some typical occasions in which it may be useful to make or update your Advance Directive:

• You are expecting to undergo an in-patient procedure requiring anesthesia
• You are aging or dealing with ongoing health issues
• You've been given a terminal diagnosis
• You live in or are planning to move into an adult care facility

Regardless of whether your Ohio Advance Directive has been produced in response to a recent change in your health or as part of a long-term plan, witnesses and notarization can help to protect your document if someone challenges its validity. In Ohio, Advance Directives in the form of a Living Will are considered invalid during pregnancy, unless the pregnancy will not develop to a live birth.

Making an Advance Directive is normally simple, but you or your agent might have questions. Finding an attorney to proofread your Ohio Advance Directive may be costly. A more cost-effective alternative would be via the On Call network of attorneys. By signing up for a Premium membership, you can get your documents reviewed or ask any legal questions. As always, you can rest assured that Rocket Lawyer will be by your side.

The fees associated with working with an attorney to make an Advance Directive might range anywhere between $200 and $1,000. Unlike the other websites you might stumble upon, Rocket Lawyer offers more than an Advance Directive template. If you ever require help from a lawyer, your Rocket Lawyer membership offers up to a 40% discount when you hire an On Call attorney.

Upon finishing your Advance Directive with the help of Rocket Lawyer, you will have the ability to retrieve it from your account wherever and whenever you choose. You should feel free to engage with the document in one or all of the following ways: editing it, downloading it in PDF format or as a Word document, printing it, and signing it. Attached to each Ohio Advance Directive, there will be a series of helpful tips to follow while finalizing your document. You will need to send a copy of your fully signed document to your agent(s) and care providers.

The rules will vary in each state; however, in Ohio, your document must be signed by a notary public or two witnesses. Witnesses to this Advance Directive cannot be your attending physician or an administrator of the nursing home where you reside, nor your spouse, adoptee, or other relative. As a basic rule, your witnesses should be 18 years old or older, and none of them should also be named as your agent.

Legal references for an Advance Directive in Ohio: § 2133.02