As most of you will be aware, the virus called COVID-19 or “coronavirus” has changed our everyday lives during this time. As of this post, more than 340,000 people in the United States have tested positive for the virus, and it has cause around 9500 deaths. Around the country, including in Oklahoma, courts are shut down due to the quarantine initiative of the governments. In Tulsa County, the courts are shut down, including court personnel, until May 15th, 2020 (which will likely be extended). Only emergency orders and hearings are being held, and usually via an electronic video stream.
In Oklahoma, all estate planning documents need to be signed “wet ink to paper.” This means that no electronic signatures are valid, and no video-stream witnessing is allowed. There is a new law in Oklahoma that allows for electronic notaries, but a Will is exempt from this new notary allowance. In Oklahoma, estate planning documents need to be signed in person, with the testator, witnesses, and notaries all together while the signing commences. This can be a problem in the time of COVID-19, but most estate planning attorneys are taking safety precautions during this time, including us at the Skillern Law Firm.
What does this all mean for you? This means, if you do not have some basic estate planning documents in place, you should do it sooner rather than later. If the government continues to become more restrictive about gatherings and work, the chances to get your estate plan done becomes harder and harder. You should also review your beneficiary designations, and make sure they are all up-to-date.
What documents should you have done is a very common questions we receive. There are four basic documents, regardless of ones wealth or health, that everyone should have:
- You should have a Last Will & Testament that tells the probate court what you want to do with your estate should you pass away.
- You should have a power of attorney for finances. This would allow your agent to pay your bills, talk to your insurance, and make other time-sensitive decisions during a period of your incapacity.
- You should have a healthcare power of attorney. This would allow your attorney-in-fact to make medical decisions for you, and also consult with your physicians, if you were unable to make those decisions for yourself.
- You should also have an Advanced Directive in case you become so ill that end-of-life decisions need to be made.
One of the biggest reasons to get your estate plan done ASAP is the fact that the court systems are shut down in Oklahoma. If you do not have a power of attorney for finances or health, the usual way for people to be granted the authority to act would be through the guardianship process. However, since courts are shut down except for emergency situations, these guardianship proceedings are not being held. Also, if this is an emergency situation and it does qualify to have a hearing, these hearings are hard to have and can be time consuming to set up (and very stressful). This means that if you are in a situation where you need to be taken care of, and you do not have documents in place, the changes of setting up a guardianship is unlikely.
Also, since hospitals and nursing homes are not allowing outside visitors due to safety precautions, the changes of you getting emergency documents done by your attorney is extremely improbable. You cannot wait til you are on your death bed to have your documents executed during this time. You can save a lot of hassle, heartbreak, and stress by being proactive and getting your documents in place immediately.
If you want to set a free consultation (right now being held via the phone), please call the Skillern Law Firm today!
