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Illinois Healthcare Power of Attorney

An Illinois Healthcare Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives a trusted person the authority to make health-related decisions on your behalf, such as refusing or requesting a medical treatment, when you cannot do so.

The individual granting control is known as the "principal," and the individual or entity obtaining powers is called the "agent." Suitable for residents of Illinois, this Power of Attorney for health care can be used in Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, and in all other parts of the state. All Illinois Medical PoA forms from Rocket Lawyer can be fully personalized to address your specific scenario. Creating this official document will provide proof to healthcare providers and other parties that your chosen representative can act in your interest.

It is very simple to grant or obtain the support you need using a free Illinois Healthcare Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your PoA - Answer a few simple questions and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Review the PoA with your agent(s) or get legal help
3. Sign it and make it legal - Optional or not, notarization/witnesses are recommended

This route, in many cases, will end up being notably less time-consuming than finding and working with a traditional lawyer. If needed, you may fill out a Medical PoA on behalf of an elderly parent, a spouse, or another relative, and then help them sign after you've drafted it. Please note that for a Power of Attorney to be legally valid, the principal must be mentally competent at the time of signing. If the principal has already been declared incompetent, a conservatorship could be required. When managing this situation, it's best for you to talk to an attorney.

Every adult ought to have a Healthcare Power of Attorney. Though it is difficult to acknowledge, a day will likely come when you are no longer able to make your own medical decisions. Here are a few common situations in which PoA forms can be helpful:

• You are currently managing a terminal condition
• You plan to undergo an in-patient procedure that requires anesthesia
• You currently live in or are planning to move into an adult care facility
• You are aging or dealing with ongoing health issue

Regardless of whether your Illinois Healthcare Power of Attorney has been prepared as part of a long-term plan or made as a result of an unexpected issue, notarization and witnesses are highly recommended for protecting your agent if their authority is doubted.

At times, when discussing the subjects of elder care or estate planning with healthcare or legal professionals, you might find that the terms "healthcare power of attorney" and "healthcare proxy" are used interchangeably. At the end of the day, they're one and the same. That being said, you should keep in mind that it is entirely possible to establish power of attorney over matters that are not related to medical care. In that case, "proxy" usually is not the term of choice.

Illinois Medical PoA forms are generally simple to make, but you or your agent(s) might still have legal questions. Seeking out a legal professional to double-check your document can take longer than you'd expect on your own. An easier approach worth consideration is to get help via attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. Premium members have the ability to ask for advice from an On Call attorney with relevant experience or pose additional legal questions. As always, you can be confident that Rocket Lawyer is here by your side.

The cost of meeting and hiring an attorney to write a Medical Power of Attorney might add up to anywhere from two hundred to five hundred dollars, depending on your location. Rocket Lawyer is not your average Power of Attorney template provider. With our service, anyone under a Rocket Lawyer Premium membership can take advantage of up to a 40% discount when hiring an On Call attorney.

Your Power of Attorney comes with a checklist of tips to follow while finalizing the document. With a membership, you will be able to make edits, save it in PDF format or as a Word file, and sign it. Finally, your agent(s) and care providers should receive a copy of the final document.

The rules and restrictions for PoA forms will vary in each state; however, in Illinois, your Power of Attorney will require one witness. Witnesses to your PoA form shouldn't be your attending physician, advanced practice nurse, physician assistant, dentist, podiatric physician, optometrist, psychologist, or any relative of the healthcare professionals listed above. Along the same lines, your witness should also not be the owner or operator (or their relatives) at any healthcare facility where you are a patient. Your spouse or any of your other relatives are also prohibited. As a basic standard, witnesses must be at least 18 years old, and no witness should simultaneously be acting as your agent.

See Illinois Healthcare Power of Attorney law: 755 ILCS 45, Art. IV