Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
This is a series of articles focusing on estate and legacy planning. Authors are Kaleena Miller, MSU Extension Madison-Jefferson County Agent, kaleena.miller1@montana.edu and Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension Family Economics Specialist, marsha.goetting@montana.edu.
The Legislature has authorized the Attorney General’s Office to set up and support an End-of-Life Registry website for Montana citizens. The goal is to provide a place for citizens to securely store their advance directives online and to give authorized health care providers immediate access to them.
“An advance directive is a document that expresses the level of care you would want if you were seriously ill and unable to make decisions for yourself,” says Kaleena Miller, MSU Madison-Jefferson County Agent. The document supplies instructions saying what you would want done or not done about life-sustaining treatment and other health care issues. You may order that your life be prolonged as long as possible. Or you may order that your attending physician withhold or withdraw treatment that would only prolong the process of dying.
Two examples of advance directives are the model health care power of attorney for Montanans and a living will (called a declaration in Montana), both available from MSU Extension. You cannot file or change an advance directive online. To register a directive, you must be at least 18 years of age.
The process of filing an advance directive is easy. First, complete an advance directive that meets the requirements of Montana. A form that meets the requirements is available from the End-of-Life Registry at https://app.mt.gov/registry/.
“MSU Extension also has a declaration (living will) form that is included in the MontGuide, Montana Rights of the Terminally Ill Act (MT199202HR),” says Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension Family Economics Specialist. The publication is available through the Madison-Jefferson County Office. Call 406-287-3282 or download here https://www.montana.edu/estateplanning/eppublications.html.
Second, complete the Montana End-of-Life Consumer Registration Agreement. The form is available from the End-of-Life Registry at https://www.endoflife.mt.gov. The form allows you to specify the level of privacy you want for your personal information.
If you do not mark which choice you want, you will be assigned the standard privacy level. The standard privacy allows access by the person who filed the directive, registered health care providers, and anyone with that person’s Social Security number, birth date, and mother’s maiden name, or with the name and access code. Higher privacy allows access only by the person who filed the directive, registered health care providers, and anyone with the name and access code.
“After you have completed your advance directive and Consumer Registration Agreement, you will want to make a copy of each so you will have a record of your submission,” emphasizes Miller.
Next, send the original forms to Montana End-of-Life Registry, Office of Consumer Protection and Victim Services, P.O. Box 201410, Helena, MT 59620-1410.
Within approximately three weeks, the Office of Consumer Protection will send a letter saying whether your advance directive has been registered in the Montana End-of-Life Registry. The letter will also confirm your identifying information. “Enclosed will be a wallet card and four labels – two to place on the back of your driver’s license and insurance card, and two extras. The card has the access code you use to check your advance directive through the online Montana End-of-Life Registry Service,” shared Goetting.
If the Office of Consumer Protection decides that an advance directive does not meet the legal requirements, it will return the directive and Consumer Registration Agreement with a letter saying what other information is needed.
You can always change your mind about their advanced health care directive. To change an advance directive registered with the Attorney General’s Office, mail the following to the Office of Consumer Protection: the new advance directive and the Montana End-of-Life Consumer Registration Agreement saying that you wish to replace your existing directive with a new one.
More information about the Montana End of Life Registry is available from MSU Extension in a MontGuide at https://store.msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/MT200602HR.pdf. For those who do not have computer access, copies are available from the Madison-Jefferson County Extension office at 287-3282.
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