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Healthcare Surrogate Designations

Healthcare Surrogate Designations in South Florida

Plan for Medical Decisions You May Not Be Able to Make Yourself

A Florida designation of health care surrogate allows you to name someone who can communicate with health care providers and make health care decisions if you can’t speak for yourself or make informed choices. It is an important part of incapacity planning, whether an illness, injury, or emergency occurs unexpectedly.

At The Gaston Law Firm, P.A., we provide estate-planning services that include advance directives. We can discuss your broader planning concerns, the person you trust to speak for you, and how a health care surrogate designation may fit with your other documents.

To discuss health care surrogate planning and related estate-planning needs, call (888) 388-6859 to schedule a consultation.

Estate Planning for South Florida Families

Health care surrogate designations address medical decision-making. They don’t replace a will or trust, and they serve a different purpose from a durable power of attorney, which addresses financial authority. A thoughtful estate plan considers how these documents work together and whether they reflect your current family circumstances.

Choosing a surrogate involves more than naming a relative or close friend. The person should understand your wishes, be able to communicate with medical professionals, and be available if a decision is needed. You may also want to consider an alternate surrogate if your first choice can’t serve.

We discuss estate-planning devices including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives with clients.

Planning Considerations for Mixed-Status Families

Family relationships, citizenship, and immigration circumstances can shape estate-planning conversations. We serve multinational citizens, lawful permanent residents, undocumented immigrants, other noncitizens, and mixed-status families whose planning concerns may require careful coordination.

Our estate-planning approach considers short-term and long-term goals alongside family circumstances. With our immigration-law background, we can discuss planning questions in context when a client’s family includes people with different immigration histories or connections outside the United States.

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FAQ

Common Answers To Your Questions


  • I’m a foreign national studying in the U.S., can I stay within the country following graduation?
    To stay in the country following graduation, a student will need to obtain an H-1B temporary worker visa. Typically, graduates who work in a specialty field (such as a medical professional or engineer) will be able to obtain this visa with ease. To ensure that this process moves smoothly, it is recommended that students apply for this visa as early as possible to avoid penalties.
  • Can I become a citizen after I am granted permanent residency?
    Yes! If you live in the country for five years as a permanent resident, you will be able to obtain citizenship through naturalization. To be eligible for this, however, you must have been physically living in the country for at least half of those five years – and must not have left for a time period longer than six months.
  • I am looking to adopt a foreign child – how can I make the process as fast as possible?
    For those who are looking into adoption, but have yet to identify the child that they are interested in adopting, it is recommended that they file an Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. This will allow for the portion relating to the approval of the parents to be completed by the time the child is chosen so that the adoption process can be expedited.
  • If I become a citizen, what are the privileges that I will experience?
    There are three primary privileges that citizens can experience. These include being able to vote in local, state and national elections; having the ability to obtain a passport; and sponsoring relatives in their efforts to become a permanent resident.