Most Pennsylvania parents take steps to protect their minor children should they pass away. This often includes providing for them through estate planning. A will may designate how assets will be passed to the children and who will take care of them when the parents are no longer around to do so. The problem is what happens in the immediate aftermath of the parents’ sudden or premature death.
Probate takes time, and there is often no way around that fact. The court will need time to make sure that the person chosen to act as guardian is available, willing and able to serve in that capacity. What happens to the children in the meantime? What if they need a doctor or something goes wrong at school?
In order to cover these eventualities, Pennsylvania parents may want to execute an additional document giving the guardian appointed in the will or another trusted person the ability to care for the children on a temporary basis until the probate is completed. This document would outline whom to contact to take care of the children in the immediate aftermath of the death of the parents. This would include authorizations regarding medical care, education and other issues that may come up in the first weeks and months during the probate.
In order to make sure that estate planning truly takes care of minor children, it may be necessary to take additional steps outside of creating a will, trust or other documents providing for them after death. It is often the immediate aftermath of a tragedy where the most chaos exists. Taking steps to eliminate or reduce that havoc may help the children get through such a difficult time at least a bit more easily.
