West Virginia e-Directive Registry: How to Register Your Advance Directive

You completed your advance directive, had it properly witnessed and notarized, and tucked it in a filing cabinet. Then an emergency happens — and the ER physician has no idea the document exists. This is the gap the West Virginia e-Directive Registry is designed to close.

What the e-Directive Registry Does

The WV e-Directive Registry is an electronic database managed by the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care. Established by the legislature in 2002, it stores advance directives, DNR cards, and POST forms and makes them instantly accessible to treating physicians and emergency departments across all 55 West Virginia counties, 24 hours a day.

When you arrive at a hospital, the medical team can look up your registered documents in the system. No phone calls to family members. No digging through a wallet or purse. No hoping someone brought a paper copy.

The registry is recognized nationally as one of the most comprehensive state advance directive databases in the country.

How to Register Your Documents

Registration is voluntary and free. Submit your completed advance directive to the registry by:

• Fax: 844-616-1415
• Mail: Send to the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care at the address provided on the registry opt-in form

You'll need to complete and include the e-Directive Registry Opt-In Form with your submission. The opt-in form captures your personal information so the registry can match your documents to you during a clinical lookup.

You can register any of the following documents:

• Living Will
• Medical Power of Attorney
• Combined MPOA/Living Will
• Mental Health Advance Directive
• DNR Card
• POST Form (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment)

Why Registration Matters

A valid advance directive that nobody can find during an emergency is functionally useless. Consider these scenarios:

• You collapse at a grocery store and EMS transports you to a hospital that has never treated you before
• You're traveling within West Virginia and are admitted to a hospital far from home
• Your family members are unreachable by phone during a critical treatment decision window

In all of these situations, the e-Directive Registry gives the medical team immediate access to your wishes. Without it, they may proceed with default treatments that conflict with what you documented.

Beyond the Registry: Where Else to Keep Copies

Registration is your safety net, but don't rely on it alone. Distribute copies to:

• Your MPOA representative — they need a copy to present when they arrive at the hospital
• Your primary care physician — they'll include it in your medical chart
• Any hospital or facility where you receive regular care — hospitals add it to your patient file
• Close family members — so someone can bring a physical copy if needed
• Your wallet or purse — carry a card indicating you have a registered advance directive

Some families keep a copy on the refrigerator door or in a labeled envelope near the front door, especially for home hospice or in-home care situations where EMS may be called.

Updating or Removing Documents

If you revoke or replace your advance directive, contact the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care to update or remove the registered version. An outdated document in the registry can cause serious problems — a physician who relies on a revoked directive in good faith is legally protected, even if the document no longer reflects your wishes.

When you execute a new advance directive, submit the replacement to the registry and request removal of the prior version.

Get Registered the Right Way

The West Virginia Advance Directive & Living Will Kit includes the e-Directive Registry opt-in form and step-by-step instructions for submission, so your documents are accessible to medical teams across the entire state the moment they're needed.

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