Make your Free Maryland Medical Power of Attorney

A Maryland Medical Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives a trusted person permission to make health-related decisions for you, such as requesting or refusing a certain medical treatment, when you cannot do so.

The person granting control is known as the "principal," while the individuals or organizations receiving powers are called the "agents." Suitable for Maryland residents, our Power of Attorney for health care is made for use in Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Baltimore County, and in every other county or municipality across the state. All Maryland Healthcare PoA forms from Rocket Lawyer can be tailored for your unique situation. Creating this essential legal document will provide verification to medical facilities and other parties that your chosen representative can make choices for you when you are not able.

It is quick and easy to assign or receive the authority you need using a free Maryland Medical Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your PoA - Answer a few questions and we will do the rest
2. Send or share it - Review it with your agent or seek legal advice
3. Sign and make it legal - Required or not, witnesses/notarization are encouraged

This method is, in most cases, notably more affordable than finding and working with a conventional law firm. If needed, you can fill out this Medical PoA on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another family member, and then have that person sign it once you've drafted it. Keep in mind that for a Power of Attorney to be considered legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent at the time of signing. In the event that the principal is already incapacitated and unable to make their own decisions, a conservatorship may be required. When dealing with such a scenario, it is a good idea to speak to a lawyer.

Anyone who is over 18 years old should have a Medical Power of Attorney. Although it's unpleasant to acknowledge, there will likely come a day when you aren't able to make important decisions on your own. Typical occasions where power of attorney can be helpful include:

• You are getting older or dealing with ongoing health issues
• You have plans to live in an adult care facility
• You are planning for an upcoming medical procedure or period of hospitalization
• You are currently managing a terminal illness

Regardless of whether your Maryland Medical Power of Attorney has been produced as a result of an unexpected emergency or as part of a forward-looking plan, notarization and/or witnesses are strongly encouraged as a best practice for protecting your agent if their privileges and authority are disputed.

Sometimes, in discussing the subjects of elder care and/or estate planning with legal or healthcare professionals, you or a loved one may find that "healthcare power of attorney", "medical power of attorney" and "healthcare proxy" are used together. In short, they're one and the same. That said, you should keep in mind that it is certainly possible to establish agency over matters that aren't related to health care, in which case, "proxy" is not commonly used.

Maryland Medical PoA forms are normally easy to make; however, you could need advice. Finding a legal professional to provide feedback on your document might take a lot of time if you attempt to do it by yourself. Another approach worth consideration is to get help via the Rocket Lawyer On Call^® network of attorneys. Premium members have the ability to request a document review from an experienced lawyer or get answers to other questions. As always, you can live confidently with Rocket Lawyer by your side.

The cost of finding and hiring a lawyer to draft a Medical Power of Attorney can total anywhere between $200 and $500. Unlike many other sites that you might stumble upon, Rocket Lawyer offers more than a Power of Attorney template. If you ever require help from a lawyer, your membership provides up to a 40% discount when you hire an attorney.

With a Premium membership, you will be able to edit it, save it as a PDF document or Word file, and/or print it. When you are ready to wrap up your Power of Attorney, it should be signed. You will need to send a final copy of your signed document to your agent(s) and care providers.

The guidelines and restrictions for PoA forms are different in each state; however, in Maryland, your Power of Attorney will require the signatures of two witnesses. At least one of the witnesses should be someone who is not your heir or beneficiary. As a basic rule, witnesses will need to be over 18 years old, and none of them should simultaneously be named as your agent.

See Maryland Medical/Healthcare Power of Attorney law: Health - General, Section 5