Veterans Affairs (VA) honors all types of legal advance directives, including forms from different states, the Department of Defense or the VA. The VA form contains more detail than most other forms and allows the option to attach additional documents. If you do not use an advance directive form to choose a health care agent, then your VA health care provider will choose a spokesperson to make decisions for you in this order: legal guardian, spouse, adult child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or close friend. If the healthcare provider cannot find anyone from this list, VA staff or a court will make decisions for you. If you have an advance directive, it’s important to give the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) a copy for your health record. A VA advance directive is valid throughout the VA system, no matter where your facility is located. A VA advance directive may or may not be legally binding outside of the VA, depending on state law. But it can still carry a lot of weight in medical decisions by informing your providers and others about your preferences.
