Before you leave to take your kid to college, there are a few items you will want to take care of that are extremely important. Although a few are younger, most college students are 18. This means they are now considered legal adults. With that comes a whole lot of independence — expected or unexpected — from their parents, regardless of who is footing the bill for their education or claiming dependency on a tax return.

Unless they give you permission or their login information, you will be unable to access your student’s health records, grades, and pretty much anything that has HPPA laws behind it. Before move-in day, talk to your student about signing the necessary permission for the college to speak with you. Make certain they understand that without that signed permission, nothing — and we mean NOTHING — pertaining to the college can be discussed with any other person besides themselves. This includes information ranging from medical records to financial aid to the balance on the account you may be helping to pay. While you may be footing some or all of the bill for your college student, your 18+-year-old is afforded the legal protections that include the sharing of protected information.

The university ensures the confidentiality of student records in accordance with the provisions of various federal, state, and university regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, also known as the Buckley Amendment. The statutes and regulations also provide certain rights to students concerning their education records. Your student can provide a signed FERPA Release of Information.

Under FERPA, when a student reaches 18 years of age or enroll at a postsecondary institution such as the University of Florida, the rights afforded to the parents of a student automatically transfer to the student. However, a parent still may have access to the education record if:

The information requested is directory information and there is no privacy hold on the student’s record.
The student provides a signed release to the university. The student may specify what information should be released, including the timeframe for the authorization to remain in effect. Additional authentication of the student’s signature may be required.
The parents can demonstrate that the student is a dependent, as defined by the IRS.
The information is released in response to a lawful subpoena. (As a courtesy, UF will make a reasonable attempt to notify the student of disclosures to the student’s parents or in response to a subpoena. The student should ensure that he/she has a current address on file, or such notification will not reach him/her.)

The Crucial Stuff

HaveUHeard that when a child turns legal age (18), your hands would be tied in a catastrophic situation unless you have specific legal documents? While we all hope and pray nothing like that happens, the last position you want to be in is not being allowed to make necessary decisions in a crisis situation.  The crucial documents below can be searched and found free online or obtained from an attorney. We are sharing them here, in this one blog, via the links below because it is such an important aspect of parenting a young adult.

Designation of Health Care Surrogate – This legal document allows for your child to designate a surrogate to provide informed consent. This consent can be needed for medical treatment, including surgical or diagnostic procedures, should your student become incapacitated. You could lose valuable time in an emergency, waiting for a court-appointed guardian to be designated if you don’t have a family member (or some other person your child knows and trusts) appointed via this document. There are other aspects to this document, and laws differ by state, so it is best to research both the application of this document and your individual state’s laws. Before you send them off to school, understand how your local laws apply to who would make these decisions for your student should this form not be executed.

Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information – Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), you will want to have all health information available so proper treatment can be given. Your student should name the same person they name as their surrogate so that there is continuity, especially when time is of the essence in a medical crisis.

Declaration of Living Will – Most of us operate under the premise that a will is not drawn up until you are older or have children. There are actually many among us who still do not have wills. But if your child, now a legal adult, is incapacitated or has an end-stage terminal condition, you should want them to make their desires known before the need arises. Being able to direct that process while they are of sound mind and body eases the pain that inevitably accompanies that circumstance.

The mere mention of a will to an eighteen-year-old may seem ridiculous to both of you. But by having an open and honest discussion, you can encourage them to make their wishes known so they can not only be taken into consideration, but honored. Perhaps they may not want a feeding tube or other artificially-provided method for nourishment and fluids. They may or may not want to donate their organs. Honestly, you may have already had this part of the discussion when they applied for their driver’s license, because that organ donor question is an item listed on the license.

This Living Will discussion is unquestionably one of the more mature discussions you will have with your child. For their sake and yours, it should be approached with knowledge and compassion. The document also allows for one or two persons to be named as agents regarding the student’s Living Will, permitting the agents to act consistently with the intentions and best interests of the student should the student become incapacitated.

More Protection

Durable Power of Attorney – This document allows your student to appoint one or two persons to represent and act for them in all matters in order to expedite handling all of their business, property, and affairs.

Insurance – Your homeowners’ insurance policy may or may not cover them while they are living on or off-campus. (Many policies do include coverage if they are living in an on-campus residence at no extra cost.)  Check the terms of your home insurance policy. Most of the large insurance companies offer separate renters policies at a reasonable rate. You may also want to look at two of the more reputable college student insurance companies College Student Insurance and National Student Services, Inc.

Sorry for today’s daunting read. We truly hope you never need the precautions you are so responsibly enacting.

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It’s bound to happen. At some point, the phone will ring and your mature, independent college student will cry “I don’t feel well. I’m siiiiiiccccck.”  With the best of bad-germ luck, their illness will just be a result of their new-found independence that includes lack of sleep and exercise, too much stress, a not-always-healthy diet, and hygiene habits that don’t embrace enough hand-washing.

Knowing I would get that call at some point, I sent my daughters to school with a “things you may need that Mom thought of just in case” box. Inside was a thermometer, vitamins, and whichever medicines they used at home for symptoms of a cold, sinus infection, stomach ache, or other common ailments.  But sometimes, they will need care beyond your box. In our personal experience, my kids and I have had great results taking Source Naturals Wellness Formula. Recommended to me by a local natural health food store, we have found it to be a strong, herbal defense supplement in fighting the onset of some illnesses. Taking two daily for prevention is suggested. But, when you feel yourself coming down with something, that dose, then becomes 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening for two days. It has worked amazingly well for most everyone I’ve shared it with.

On-Campus Sick Care

UF’s Health Care Center is comprehensive, providing both primary and specialty care, including dentistry. For any health circumstance that is not a medical emergency or life-threatening circumstance, it’s recommended that your student go online to request an appointment. If it is a medical concern that needs attention that day, it helps to have the patient data form filled out in advance.

UF Health Shands Hospital is recognized as one of the best hospitals in Florida. UF Health has four Emergency Centers as well as after-hour facilities. They are also affiliated with Care Spot Urgent Care, which has three locations in Gainesville and a fourth in Ocala. Be sure to have your student fill out and drop off an Authorization to Release form when they begin college. As a legal adult, it is up to them how much access they want to allow you. But there is nothing worse than calling to find out about your sick or injured student and being told that the doctor is not authorized to talk with you.

Other Options When Sick

If the health center on campus is inconvenient due to their hours or long wait times, there are alternatives. CVS has two Minute Clinics in Gainesville for minor illnesses. And it helps to have a discussion with your student before dropping them off at college. A prioritized plan that addresses emergencies will provide the well-thought-out process not usually available in an emergency. The plan should include you having your student’s roommate or friend’s phone number, especially if they are likely to accompany them to the ER. My daughter added the ICE identifier (In Case of Emergency) to the Emergency Access in her phone in case she was ever unable to communicate. You can add that info whether you have an iPhone or Android. Have them enter their Medical ID information. This information allows medical personnel to access the information even on a locked phone. It can include allergies, emergency contact information, and other crucial information.

We have also used Teledoc as an option when nothing else is available. There are many hospital and insurance groups with virtual doctor options that are good for minor conditions such as colds, sinus infections, UTIs, pink eye, rashes, and sunburn. It helps to know ahead of time what is offered or covered by your insurance. Often included by these groups are other services such as prescription drug cards and Electronic Medical Records Storage and Access. This is NOT a service for medical emergencies.

Use a Prevent Defense, Too

We also recommend having your student get a flu shot. This past year, my daughter got really sick twice — once with a bad case of the flu and once with a nasty virus. It was difficult to get an appointment for care during the flu season. (It seemed that almost every student and teacher got hit with the flu.) Read our blog to find out places for them to get a flu shot. You can also ask your family doctor for a recommendation of a general practitioner in Gainesville. Yes, your fees do pay for the student health center. But your student having a Gainesville doctor will make getting a local appointment a little easier and may serve your student better. They’ll be at college for four years, so establishing a relationship early may be worth it when the time comes that your student needs to be seen. Here’s hoping, anyway!

Be sure your student has a copy of their insurance card. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea for them to keep a photo of both sides in their phone as a back-up.  And if you want to send something to make your student feel better, there are many options to choose: chicken soup from Chabad Jewish Student & Community Center at UF (you don’t have to be Jewish to order) and a COVID-19 Care Package and/or meal from Hillel.; Seamless, whose motto of “Whatever you’re in the mood for, wherever you’re in the mood for it, you’ve got it” includes favorite healing foods; Midnight Cookies for the spoonful-of-sugar approach (minimum order of $8), and more.

Combat Sickness with Wellness

Another wonderful Mom-stand-in resource is Mouth. Mouth has a Sick Care package filled with tea, honey sticks, crackers, as well as a Wellness Care package filled with tea and snow honey, fruit jerky, relaxing digestive bitters, healing turmeric elixir, an antioxidant-rich dark chocolate bar, healthy granola, and a hand-made candle. See our blog on Care Packages for more ideas.

Finally, remind your students to notify their professor if they will be legitimately missing class and unable to complete coursework. Including a doctor’s note is recommended. UF students who are seen by a doctor at the Student Health Care Center and who are not able to attend class or take an exam may be able to get an excuse note. You can find detailed instructions and parameters. Although it seems overwhelming at the time, this is a step that shouldn’t be overlooked. An important closing reminder: Please make sure your student has filled out the legal forms should an emergency arise and you need to know what is going on.

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Students at many colleges today must have a health insurance plan that meets their University’s minimum requirement. HaveUHeard that if you forget to submit the waiver that is required to show that your student is covered under your medical plan, the University will purchase an insurance plan for your student? Even knowing this, my daughter still forgot to submit a waiver. (Yeah, forgetting things happens – even with our smart, collegiate kids!) When she received her Bright Futures deposit for that semester and I questioned why it was so low, it took a bit of questioning, querying, and sifting through the allocation of funds to learn that that was, indeed, exactly what had happened. When I spoke to someone at the university (which I was able to do because my daughter had signed the appropriate permission), they assured me that my daughter had received many, and I mean many, reminder emails. Her oversight cost us a penalty to have the school-purchased plan canceled, and I hope this heads-up will save you from having to pay one as well.

Deciding on which health insurance plan your student should be on may actually require a degree in economics, as you can see from the many variables to consider when choosing. They include:

1. Does your current health insurance plan meet the university’s minimum coverage requirements?
2. Is the monthly premium you pay for your child pre-tax or after-tax?
3. Is it marketplace insurance or subsidized and, again, does it meet the university’s minimum requirements?
4. Does your current insurance cover your student at an out-of-state college?

Give consideration to the fact that you will be paying for the University coverage upfront and not monthly as with your own health insurance. Additionally, if your student is coming to UF from out-of-state, you will need to check with your current health insurance coverage to see if it covers their costs while attending school and living out-of-state. I had to do a serious cost analysis for my daughter when the insurance she had under her father’s plan expired. Trust me when I say, “DO THE MATH!”

At the University of Florida, the UF Health Insurance Plan is administered through United Healthcare. The rates for the University of Florida plan for a single student averaged approximately $215.00 per month for 2019-2020. If your student is already covered by your own plan, you should consider what your cost is to keep them on your plan. If yours is a Cafeteria Plan using pre-tax dollars, it could very well be more reasonable to keep them on your insurance plan.  In addition, if your student anticipates a semester spent studying abroad, that should factor into your discussion on which plan to go with. The guidelines for the minimum coverage.

If you do decide to maintain your student’s current health insurance on your own health plan, then you must turn in a waiver to UF in the same time frame as the fee payment deadline for the first semester you are assessed fees (usually prior to your student’s first semester at UF). This waiver is valid for one year or three semesters and then needs to be renewed every year. If you fail to turn in the waiver, the University WILL bill you for health insurance and if you turn in the waiver late, the University will bill you a late filing fee. A little lesson from personal experience, from one parent to another. Alas.

The deadline for turning in the next waiver (depending upon which semester your students are due) is January 17, 2020, for the Spring semester, May 22, 2020, for the Summer A/C Semester, July 10, 2020, for the Summer B Semester, and September 4, 2020, for the Fall Semester. Annual coverage starts in August and can only be purchased during the Fall enrollment period, which ends 30 calendar days after classes start for the Fall Semester. This means you have a big insurance decision to make sooner than when you typically will have to decide on your own health insurance. The University will only auto-enroll students for term coverage for semesters in which they are registered for 6 or more credit hours.  If your student requires insurance during times when they will not be taking classes (e.g. summer semesters), you may want to consider purchasing the Annual Plan.

This means that if you decide to switch your student to the school-administered health insurance on an annual basis, you will already have to have them on the University plan well before you sign up for your own new health insurance in November. For some families, it may make sense, therefore, to sign up for University health insurance by the semester. If you are unsure of which plan makes the most sense for your family (entirely understandable at this point!) and you have access to a financial planner or a certified public accountant, they can run the numbers for you. For information about UF’s student Health Insurance options or information in regards to the Waiver requirements and forms.

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