Advance Health Care Directive

A Special Message from Paul Velasco, March 22, 2020:

At Velasco Law Group, we have always advised that a well thought out Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD) is an important part of every estate plan. And with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the pandemic that threatens to forever change life as we know it, it is more important now than ever to be prepared.

Under the circumstances, I want to do more than just tell everyone how important it is to have a detailed and updated Advance Health Care Directive, I want to make it available for everyone to download, complete, sign and make it effective immediately. Typically, during consultations with clients, we obtain the information we need to personalize and tailor each AHCD to the client’s personal wishes and specifications.

Since that is not possible at this time, I have drafted a generic AHCD form that anyone can download and print from home, review and select among the different health care options included in the directive and then sign it. To be valid, the AHCD has to be signed either in the presence of a notary or two adult witnesses. Please carefully follow the instructions in the ACHD for proper execution.

Of course, this is not intended to take the place of a comprehensive estate plan, which includes the creation of a Revocable Living Trust, Will, Financial Power of Attorney among other important documents; but for the time being, my hope is that having an AHCD that can be used in the event of an accident, illness or other events that renders you incapable of making health care decisions for yourself will bring you some peace of mind during these trying and turbulent times.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance to you in any way. Our attorneys and other staff are working remotely to ensure that the estate planning needs of our clients are met at all times and we offer virtual meetings to accommodate our clients during the time that Governor Newsom’s stay at home order is in effect.