Make your Free Kentucky Living Will

A Kentucky Living Will is a legal document that sets forth your wishes regarding health care, such as your request for or refusal of specific medical treatments and procedures, in addition to the (optional) selection of a trusted healthcare agent.

The individual making a Living Will is called the "principal," and the individual or organization obtaining permission to carry out the principal's wishes is called the "agent." Suitable for Kentucky residents, this free Living Will can be used in Kenton County, Jefferson County, Fayette County, and in all other parts of the state. Any Kentucky Living Will form from Rocket Lawyer can be personalized for your unique circumstances. As a result of having this essential document, your medical providers will have a point of reference for your decisions, and your agent will be able to provide proof that they have the authority to make choices for you when you are not able.

It's very simple to document your medical wishes using a free Kentucky Living Will template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the document - Provide a few basic details, and we will do the rest
2. Send and share - Review your wishes with your healthcare agent or get legal advice
3. Sign it and make it legal - Required or not, witnesses and notarization are a best practice

This route is, in most cases, notably less time-consuming than finding and hiring a traditional law firm. If needed, you may start this Living Will on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another family member, and then help them sign it once you've drafted it. Please note that for this document to be accepted as legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent when they sign. If the principal is already incapacitated and unable to make their own decisions, a court-appointed conservatorship may be required. In this scenario, it is important for you to speak to an attorney.

If you are over 18 years old, you ought to have a Living Will. Even though it is painful to acknowledge, a day could come when you are no longer able to make healthcare decisions on your own. Here are a few typical situations where you may consider it useful to make or update your Living Will:

• You are aging or dealing with ongoing health issues
• You are planning to move into a community care facility
• You are planning for an upcoming surgery or hospitalization
• You are currently managing a terminal condition

Whether your Kentucky Living Will has been produced as a result of a change in your health or as part of a long-term plan, notarization and/or witnesses can help to protect your agent if someone challenges their power and authority. Under Kentucky law, a Living Will is not considered valid during pregnancy.

Making a Living Will is generally easy to do, but you or your agent might have legal questions. Locating a legal professional to comment on your document might take longer than you expect if you do it by yourself. An easier approach would be through Rocket Lawyer attorney services. Rocket Lawyer Premium members can ask for advice from an experienced attorney or send other legal questions. As always, you can live confidently knowing that Rocket Lawyer is by your side.

The cost of finding and working with a legal provider to write a Living Will might range anywhere between two hundred and one thousand dollars. Unlike many other Living Will template providers you may discover, Rocket Lawyer offers Premium membership holders up to 40% in savings when hiring a lawyer, so an attorney from our On Call network can review the situation and take action if you ever require support.

Attached alongside each Kentucky Living Will form is a set of next steps to take to finalize the document. You also can engage with the PoA in any of the following ways: editing it, downloading it as a Word or PDF file, and/or signing it. Finally, you should ensure that your agent(s) and care providers get their copy of the final document.

The laws governing Living Wills vary in each state; however, in Kentucky, your Living Will needs to be acknowledged by a notary public or signed by two witnesses. Witnesses to a Living Will must not be your attending physician or anyone responsible for your healthcare costs, nor can they be affiliated with your healthcare facility unless providing notary services. Relatives or other beneficiaries are also restricted. As a general rule, your witnesses will need to be over the age of 18, and none should simultaneously be your healthcare agent.

See legal references for a Living Will in Kentucky: KRS 311.625