Advance Care Planning: What Is It and Why Do It? 

Different people want different things when it comes to their health care. Advance care planning ensures that your loved ones and your health care team know what’s important to you and what your wishes are for future health care. Your health care team can help you decide what type of advance care planning is right for you, and this might include completing an advance directive, talking about goals of care, or attending an Advance Care Planning Group Visit.

What is an advance directive?

If you are ever too sick to make health care decisions for yourself, your surrogate will make health care decisions for you. You can name a specific person to be your surrogate in a durable power of attorney for health care, which is a type of advance directive. That person will be known as your health care agent. If you do not choose a health care agent, your surrogate will be selected in the following order: legal guardian, husband or wife, adult child, brother or sister, grandparent, grandchild, close friend.

When choosing a health care agent, it’s best to choose someone you trust and who knows you well. When you choose someone, you should talk to that person to make sure they are willing to be your health care agent and willing to carry out your wishes. Check out this podcast, "Choosing a Health Care Agent."

A living will is another type of advance directive, and it can help your surrogate and health care team understand what treatment you would or would not want if you had an illness or emergency. It’s important to talk about your living will with your surrogate and health care team so that they will know what you want.

VA’s advance directive is VA Form 10-0137. Your health care team can help you with this form and can answer your questions. You can also get this form from any member of your health care team.

A “goals of care” conversation 

Do you have medical needs or are you at risk of getting sick? If so, you should think about what matters most to you. Talking with your health care team about your goals can help you think about your values and your wishes. Your health care team can help you make a care plan that will be included in your VA electronic health record.

You could fill out an advance directive if you want to name someone you trust as your health care agent. Your health care team can help you decide if filling out an advance directive is right for you.

Advance care planning stories

All Veterans deserve to have their wishes heard and health care preferences honored. The Advance Care Planning video series shows why advance care planning is important for everyone – whether you are healthy or ill, young or old, or receiving health care in a clinic, hospital, or home.