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South Carolina Healthcare Power of Attorney

A South Carolina Healthcare Power of Attorney is a legal document that grants a selected person or entity the authority to make healthcare decisions for you, such as requesting or refusing medical treatment, if you cannot do so.

The person giving permission is known as the "principal," and the person or organization gaining authority is known as the "agent." Designed for South Carolina residents, this Power of Attorney for health care is made for use in Greenville County, Richland County, Charleston County, and in any other part of the state. All South Carolina Medical PoA forms from Rocket Lawyer can be modified to address your specific situation. This official document provides verification to healthcare institutions and other parties that your selected representative(s) can legally act in your interest when you are not able.

It's simple and easy to grant or obtain the authority you might need with a free South Carolina Healthcare Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your document - Provide a few basic details and we will do the rest
2. Send and share - Look over it with your agent or ask a lawyer
3. Sign it and make it legal - Required or not, notarization/witnesses are encouraged

This method is, in many cases, notably more affordable than meeting and hiring a conventional lawyer. If necessary, you may start this Medical PoA on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another family member, and then help that person sign it once you've drafted it. Please note that for a Power of Attorney to be considered legally valid, the principal must be a mentally competent adult when they sign. In the event that the principal has already been declared incompetent, a conservatorship could be required. When managing such a situation, it would be best for you to speak to a lawyer.

Every adult ought to have a Healthcare Power of Attorney. Though it is difficult to think about, there will likely come a time when you are no longer able to make important decisions on your own. Common situations in which power of attorney may be helpful include:

• You plan to be hospitalized for a medical procedure
• You are getting older or dealing with ongoing health issues
• You are currently managing a terminal condition
• You currently reside in or intend to move into a care facility

Regardless of whether your South Carolina Healthcare Power of Attorney has been made as a result of an urgent issue or as part of a forward-looking plan, notarization and witnesses often help to protect your document if its authority is questioned by a third party.

In researching the topics of estate planning or elder care, you or a loved one might hear the terms "healthcare proxy" and "healthcare power of attorney" used together. At the end of the day, they are the same. That said, it's possible to establish power of attorney over affairs that are not related to medical care. In that case, "proxy" typically is not the preferred term.

South Carolina Medical PoA forms are generally easy to make, but you or your agent could need legal advice. Having someone review the document may take longer than you'd expect if you do it alone. An alternate approach to consider is to get help via the On Call attorney network. Rocket Lawyer members can request guidance from an On Call attorney with relevant experience or send other questions. As always, you can live confidently with Rocket Lawyer by your side.

The cost of finding and working with a conventional lawyer to generate a Medical Power of Attorney might range anywhere from two hundred to five hundred dollars. Rocket Lawyer can offer much more protection than other Power of Attorney template providers that you might encounter elsewhere. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you can get up to a 40% discount when hiring an attorney.

Attached to your Power of Attorney, there's a checklist of suggested steps you should take to finalize your document. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you can edit it, print it out, or sign it. Finally, your agent(s) and care providers should get a copy of your fully executed document.

The specifications and restrictions for PoA forms are different in each state; however, in South Carolina, your Power of Attorney will require the signatures of two witnesses and a notary public. Witnesses to your PoA form shouldn't be your attending physician or their employees, nor can they be anyone who is directly responsible for your healthcare costs, your spouse, relatives, adoptees, heirs, or other beneficiaries. Finally, as a general principle, your witness(es) should not be under 18 years old, and none should simultaneously be your Power of Attorney agent.

See South Carolina Healthcare Power of Attorney law: Title 62, Article 5, Part 5