When a person reaches their 18th birthday, there are lots of exciting things ahead of them: graduation, future career, and living separately from their parents. But the most exciting is the fact that they won’t be a child anymore — from this age, adulthood starts, with all its rights and responsibilities.

Accessing the Data of Your Grown-up Kid

In most countries and US states, 18 is the age when a child becomes an adult. So, their parents don’t need to take care of them anymore — of course, if the child is not disabled.

Since your child is an adult now, you don’t have any access to their educational, financial, and medical data. And if they become incapable of making a decision because of an accident, an illness, etc., you won’t be able to make it instead of them. Luckily, there are some methods to get around it and help your child.

You can use the following documents:

• FERPA release — if you don’t have access to their educational data;
• HIPAA waiver — in case you don’t have access to the medical data of your kid;
• Financial power of attorney when you need to make a financial decision on behalf of your child;
• Health care power of attorney if the necessary decision is medical;
• Testament and the last will in case your kid is “intestate” or, in other words, doesn’t have it yet.

Now, let’s look at them all in more detail.

1. FERPA Release

FERPA means Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It gives parents the right to access school educational records (for example, grades) of their children — of course, only under 18 years old. In case they’re older, they need to sign a release form of FERPA to give them access to it. FERPA release doesn’t have a standard form — schools and colleges usually have their own ones.

2. HIPAA Waiver

HIPAA means Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It forbids doctors and hospitals from giving away any health-related data to unauthorized people. When your child reaches 18, they become the only authorized person to get this information. So, the doctor cannot refresh a prescription for them if you ask for it. But your kid can complete a document named HIPAA Waiver, making you a fully authorized person to do such things. Its standard form can be found online.

3. Financial power of attorney

This paper gives you your kid’s legal power of attorney, so you’ll have access to their money and be able to use their bank account in case of their disability.

4. Health care power of attorney

This document permits you to become your kid’s healthcare agent. So, in case they’re severely disabled and can’t make their own decisions, you’ll have the right to access their health records. In some cases, this document can include a so-called living will — an advanced medical directive for terminal illnesses or injuries.

5. Testament and the last will

You may think that this age is too young for a will, but unfortunately, anything can happen. An adult who has died without it is intestate — so their possessions are distributed by the state itself. A will can minimize expenses by making the probate process faster. In their will, your kid can designate you as their representative who can handle their belongings. For a will, as for the aforementioned power of attorney documents, a lawyer isn’t necessary. You can find forms for them online.