When you’re prepping for LDS missions it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of preparing spiritually and shopping for clothes and luggage, but parents also need to think about the (not-as-fun) legal preparation.
There are important legal considerations of sending your young adult children on a mission, especially abroad. Even though it isn’t fun to think about the possibility of making medical (or other) decisions for your son or daughter, setting up necessary paperwork and permissions ahead of time can potentially save you a lot of trouble down the road.
Here are some key legal steps parents should consider setting up before sending out your missionary.
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1. Medical Power of Attorney
- What it is: This is a legal document that grants a designated person (usually a parent) the authority to make medical decisions on behalf of someone else if they’re unable to make decisions themselves.
- Why it’s needed: If your missionary becomes seriously ill or injured while abroad and cannot communicate their wishes or make decisions themselves, you’ll need the legal right to step in and make medical decisions on their behalf.
2. General Power of Attorney (POA)
- What it is: This grants a parent or guardian the authority to handle other types of legal or financial matters, such as managing bank accounts, paying bills, or signing documents on behalf of the missionary.
- Why it’s needed: Missionaries may still need you to manage finances, pay for college or housing, or make legal decisions like signing documents or contracts. If a debit card is lost or stolen on the mission, this (along with adding yourself to bank accounts) might be essential to get a new card.
3. FERPA Forms for College Registration and Financial Aid
- What it is: For parents who are sending their child on a mission and want to manage their education in their absence, they’ll need the legal right to handle college registrations, financial aid, and other administrative matters.
- Why it’s needed: While on a mission, your missionary may be unable to manage school-related tasks, like applying for financial aid, registering for classes, or making tuition payments.
How do I set up Power(s) of Attorney/FERPA Forms for my missionary son or daughter?
There are a few different options you have when it comes to getting these important legal forms created for your missionary. You can set up power of attorney and FERPA forms:
- Through your lawyer: If you have a lawyer, they should be able to draft up a General Power of Attorney and Medical Power of Attorney easily.
- Through free forms from your state/university: Another option is to look up the requirements for your particular state and see if they have forms available for you to use. Often these forms will require a notary and or a witness.
- Through Mama Bear Legal Forms: When I was in the middle of getting everything ready, I didn’t want to have the hassle of finding forms and notaries…so I used a service called Mama Bear Legal Forms that was recommended by another missionary mom and I loved it! They make it so simple to fill out the necessary information and for one price you’ll receive:
- Comprehensive Health Power of Attorney
- Financial Powerof Attorney
- HIPAA release (to access health information)
- FERPA Form (so you can access education information)
- A second set of documents for your missionary
- A free app to keep track of the forms!
I can’t say enough good things about Mama Bear Legal Forms! It made my son’s mission preparations so much easier and took one GIANT thing off my list. I asked Mama Bear Legal Forms if they would extend a discount to Missionary Square Parents and they said YES! You can get 20% off the Young Adult Power of Attorney Package by using the code “MISSION20”
4. Digital Security and Access to Accounts
- What it is: Giving a parent temporary access to digital accounts or providing emergency instructions for handling online matters.
- Why it’s needed: Parents might need to manage accounts while your missionary is gone—whether it’s a social media account, email, or bank account.
How do I set up Digital Security and Access to Accounts for my missionary son or daughter?
Sit down with your son or daughter and go through their important accounts (Bank accounts, Email, College, Social Media, Church etc) and:
- Write down necessary login information
- Add a parent email account as an emergency backup account
- Make sure any two-factor authentication processes are set up with alternate contact methods (parent phone numbers or email addresses) so you can access critical information in an emergency.
- It’s also a good time for parents to check that your missionary knows how to access and use digital tools if they need to manage things from afar (meaning they know their login names and passwords!).
Key Takeaways
Sending a child on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints involves not only spiritual and emotional preparations but also a set of critical legal ones. You and your missionary can have peace of mind by putting the appropriate documents in place, including medical and financial powers of attorney, FERPA forms and access/passwords for digital accounts.
Spending time on these legal considerations now will ensure that you can act quickly and responsibly if needed.