{"id":12292,"date":"2021-08-19T09:50:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T14:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legaltalktexas.hammerle.com\/?p=12292"},"modified":"2025-06-18T16:57:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T21:57:27","slug":"important-things-to-consider-when-your-child-turns-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/important-things-to-consider-when-your-child-turns-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Things to Consider When Your Child Turns 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that you are no longer the legal guardian of your 18-year-old son or daughter? Eighteen is the age of majority in Texas, meaning that after their 18<\/span>th<\/span> birthday, young adults are presumed competent to make decisions about health care, finances, and other important areas of life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Health Care Decisions<\/span><\/h2>\n

What does that mean for your son or daughter in their senior year, or graduating from high school and perhaps going off to college? For one thing, it means that you are not necessarily able to make health care decisions on behalf of your child, should they become \u201cincompetent\u201d or incapable of communication as a result of an illness or accident. In Texas, the statutes list parents as one of several people able to make a decision on behalf of a patient regarding the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (life support measures). However, if the situation is not that grave, the statutes do not list parents as able to make general health care decisions for an adult child who is unable to make those decisions for him\/herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Financial Decisions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Also, as an adult, your 18-year-old has exclusive authority to make financial decisions for himself or herself. If they own their own car, or are paying for their own college education, or have their own apartment, they have financial affairs from which you can be excluded from handling should your child need unexpected help. Banks, especially, are quite resistant to allowing any access to another adult\u2019s financial information, even if you are just trying to keep your child\u2019s loan from going into default.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Protect Your New 18-Year-Old<\/span><\/h2>\n

So what can you do to protect your 18-year-old? Consider having your child execute a <\/span>Medical Power of Attorney<\/span><\/a>, which names you as his or her agent for medical decisions. The Medical Power of Attorney will only come into effect if your child is certified as unable to make his or her own decisions by an attending physician. So, while you cannot override your adult child\u2019s own medical decision, you can legally step in if your child is unable to make any decision at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, consider asking your child to execute a <\/span>Durable (financial) Power of Attorney<\/span><\/a> which will allow you to handle his or her finances and access his or her accounts, if necessary. Adding yourself as a co-owner, with right of survivorship, or as a convenience signer, on your child\u2019s bank account(s) is also recommended. And though it\u2019s hard to think about, if you are merely a convenience signer, a Transfer on Death designation should be attached to your son or daughter\u2019s account.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects every adult\u2019s medical information from unauthorized disclosure. A HIPAA Release prepared for your child ensures that doctors and hospitals are authorized to share your child\u2019s medical information or condition with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is designed to protect a college student\u2019s privacy, but it can leave parents locked out in an emergency. A properly worded FERPA Release can allow parents to talk to school officials and release pertinent educational records and information should they need it. These releases can usually be obtained from the school your child attends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, if your <\/span>child is the beneficiary of a trust <\/span><\/a>that is currently paying distributions, or if he or she owns any assets in his or her name, your <\/span>child may actually need a Will<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hammerle Morris Can Help<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you have any questions on the above issues, <\/span>Kendra Rey is an estate planning attorney<\/span><\/a> at Hammerle Morris Law Firm who can help you to explore this topic further and obtain the documents that are right for your family.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that you are no longer the legal guardian of your 18-year-old son or daughter? Eighteen is the age of majority in Texas, meaning that after their 18th birthday, young adults are presumed competent to make decisions about health care, finances, and other important areas of life.\u00a0\u00a0 Health Care Decisions What does that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":12293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1224],"tags":[685,1199],"class_list":{"0":"post-12292","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-estate-planning","8":"tag-estate-planning","9":"tag-family-law"},"yoast_head":"\nImportant Things to Consider When Your Child Turns 18 - Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At 18, young adults are presumed competent to make decisions about health care, finances, and other important aspects. 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