home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- #define.stb Definitions of legal terms
- #help.tut Extra help
-
- SUMMARY OF STATE LIVING WILL LEGISLATION
-
- WEST VIRGINIA
-
- Synopsis: West Virginia has a strong living will statute. The
- statute requires that upon confirmation of a terminal condition,
- the physician must effectuate the living will, or notify the next
- of kin of the patient of his refusal to cause a transfer of the
- patient. The statute requires the fact of the living will to
- be noted on the patient's chart. To prepare a living will using
- the State of West Virginia recommended form, please select living
- will preparation from the opening menu. Remember that the
- publisher recommends preparing a "uniform" living
- will in addition to the form suggested with by the State of West
- Virginia. Please also consider executing a living will for any
- State that you spend more than a few weeks per year, or where you
- are a temporary resident.
-
- Statute number: W. Va. Code Chapt. 16 Art 30
- Statute title: "West Virginia Natural Death Act"
-
- Governmental Agency to contact for more information: None
- specified
-
- A specific form of living will is suggested
-
- Witness requirements: Number: 2 Relationship: Witnesses may
- not be related by blood or marriage, may not be directly
- responsible for the medical costs of the declarant, may not be
- entitled to inherit whether by will or intestacy, may not be the
- attending physician of the declarant or an employee of the
- physician or hospital in which the declarant is a patient and
- must be over 18 years of age.
-
- Recording of the living will is not provided for by the statute
- Revocation of the living will may be made by tearing, defacing,
- burning, or by a separate document of revocation. It may be
- verbally revoked by a verbal declaration, provided that the
- witness reduces the revocation to writing and signs and date the
- same. Any revocation which is made known to the physician must
- be recorded in the patient's records.