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Missouri Healthcare Power of Attorney

A Missouri Healthcare Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives a trusted individual permission to make health-related decisions on your behalf, such as accepting or refusing a specific medical treatment, when you cannot do so.

The individual giving permission is known as the "principal," and the people or organizations receiving powers are known as the "agents." Suited for residents of Missouri, this Power of Attorney for health care is made for use in St. Louis County, Clay County, Jefferson County, and in every other part of the state. All Missouri Healthcare PoA forms from Rocket Lawyer can be edited for your specific scenario. With this official legal document on hand, your representative(s) can offer proof to healthcare institutions and other parties that they can make choices for you when you are not able.

It's quick and easy to give or receive the support you need using a free Missouri Healthcare Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the PoA - Provide a few basic details and we will do the rest
2. Send and share it - Go over it with your agent or ask a lawyer
3. Sign it - Optional or not, witnesses/notarization are ideal

This method, in many cases, would be much less time-consuming than finding and hiring a traditional law firm. If necessary, you may start a Medical PoA on behalf of a relative, and then help them sign it once you've drafted it. Please remember that for this document to be legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent when they sign. If the principal has already been declared incompetent, a conservatorship generally will be necessary. When dealing with such a scenario, it is best to speak with a lawyer.

Every person over 18 should have a Healthcare Power of Attorney. Though it can be challenging to think about, there might come a time when you cannot make healthcare decisions on your own. Here are a few common situations where you may find a PoA to be helpful:

• You are aging or have declining health
• You intend to move into a residential care facility
• You are planning for an upcoming medical procedure or period of hospitalization
• You are managing a terminal illness

Regardless of whether your Missouri Healthcare Power of Attorney has been drafted as part of a long-term plan or created in response to an emergency, notarization and witnesses are highly encouraged for protecting your agent if anyone disputes their privileges and authority.

At times, in discussing the topics of elder care and estate planning with medical or legal professionals, you might hear "healthcare power of attorney" and "healthcare proxy" being used together or interchangeably. In actuality, they're one and the same. That said, it is possible to get power of attorney over affairs that are not related to medical care, in which case, "proxy" generally is not the term of choice.

Missouri Medical PoA forms are usually simple to make, but you or your agent(s) might still have legal questions. Depending on whom you ask, some lawyers will not even agree to review documents that they did not work on. A more favorable approach would be via attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. As a Premium member, you can ask for guidance from an experienced lawyer or get answers to other legal questions related to your Healthcare Power of Attorney. As always, Rocket Lawyer is here for you.

The fees associated with working with a law firm to generate a Medical Power of Attorney could be anywhere between $200 and $500. When you use Rocket Lawyer, you aren't just filling out a Power of Attorney template. In case you ever need assistance from a lawyer, your membership provides up to 40% in savings when you hire an attorney.

When you have made your Healthcare Power of Attorney using Rocket Lawyer, you can open it on any device, anytime. You also can interact with the PoA in all of the following ways: editing it, saving it as a Word or PDF document, printing it out, or signing it. Attached alongside each Power of Attorney form, there's a checklist of tips on what is next to finalize the document. Your agent(s) and care providers should receive copies of the fully executed document.

The specific rules and restrictions governing PoA forms are different by state; however, in Missouri, your document will usually require notarization. If you plan to give an agent authority over your burial or cremation, two witnesses will also need to sign. Finally, as a general principle, your witness(es) should be over 18 years old, and none of them should also be named as your agent.

See Missouri Healthcare Power of Attorney law: § 404.805