Your Family Shouldn't Have to Guess What You Want
Every year, thousands of Washington families face a terrifying moment: a loved one is unconscious in a hospital bed, and nobody knows what they would have wanted. Without a valid advance directive, Washington's default decision-maker statute (RCW 7.70.065) kicks in — forcing your spouse, adult children, parents, and siblings into a rigid hierarchy where everyone in the same tier must agree unanimously. One estranged sibling. One disagreement. And your care freezes while the family scrambles for a lawyer.
It doesn't have to be that way.
The Washington Directive Integration System
Most people think a living will is enough. It isn't. Washington actually requires two separate statutory documents — a Health Care Directive (living will under RCW 70.122) and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPOA-HC under RCW 11.125) — and they serve completely different purposes. Free templates from the WSMA and Washington Law Help give you one or the other, scattered across different downloads, with no guidance on how they work together.
This kit integrates everything into a single, sequential system. You work through it once, front to back, and walk away with legally binding documents that Washington hospitals will accept — not because they're generic, but because they're built around the exact statutes your providers are required to follow.
What's Inside the Kit
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care — because a living will can't anticipate every clinical scenario, and naming a trusted agent under RCW 11.125 means someone you choose makes the call — not the default statutory list
- Health Care Directive (Living Will) — your documented wishes for life-sustaining treatment, comfort care, and terminal condition scenarios, following the execution requirements of RCW 70.122
- Witness & Notary Verification Checklist — Washington bars relatives, heirs, attending physicians, and healthcare facility staff from witnessing. One ineligible witness can invalidate your entire directive. This checklist catches the problem before you sign
- Body Disposition Directive — Washington was the first state to legalize human composting, and also permits water cremation. But without a signed directive under RCW 68.50.160, your next of kin can legally override your wishes. This form locks in your choice
- POLST & DNR Preparation Guide — a standard advance directive won't stop EMTs from performing CPR during a 911 call. You need a physician-signed POLST form for that. This guide explains when you need one, who signs it, and where to post it
- Dementia & VSED Supplemental Planner — standard living wills cover end-of-life crises, not the years-long decline of dementia. These specialized directives let you document care preferences, combativeness protocols, and feeding instructions while you still have legal capacity
- Death with Dignity Reference — how Washington's aid-in-dying law works alongside your advance directive, including eligibility requirements, the two-request process, and what a healthcare proxy can and cannot authorize
- Hospital Integration Guide — exactly how to file your documents with your primary care provider, local hospital admitting office, and Washington's Health Care Declarations Registry
- Resources & Contacts Directory — official forms with governing statutes, key agency contacts, and clear guidance on when to consult an attorney, CPA, or funeral director
Who This Kit Is For
- Any Washington adult who wants legally binding healthcare directives — not generic templates that miss the state-specific witness rules, body disposition statutes, and community property nuances
- Family caregivers managing an aging parent's affairs who need these documents completed before the next hospitalization, not after
- Recently divorced individuals — Washington law (RCW 11.125.085) automatically revokes your ex-spouse's authority as healthcare agent. If you haven't named a replacement, the default hierarchy controls again
- Anyone with a progressive diagnosis who needs to document care preferences while they still meet the legal capacity standards under RCW 11.125.050
- Eco-conscious planners who want green burial, human composting, or water cremation and need a binding directive that prevents family members from overriding that choice
Why Not Free Templates?
Washington has some of the best free advance directive forms in the country — the WSMA, Washington Law Help, and End of Life Washington all provide legitimate templates. The problem isn't the forms. It's everything around them.
Free templates are fragmented. The WSMA form covers the DPOA-HC but skips the statutory living will. Washington Law Help has the living will but doesn't include the body disposition directive. None of them walk you through the witness exclusion rules that can invalidate your documents. And none of them address the specialized directives for dementia, VSED, or Death with Dignity that Washington law uniquely supports.
An elder law attorney will integrate everything for $500 to $1,500. This kit gives you the same integration — the right documents, in the right order, with the right execution guidance — without the attorney fee or the three-week wait for an appointment.
Your Wishes, Legally Protected
A properly executed advance directive isn't a suggestion. Under Washington law, healthcare providers are legally required to follow it. If a provider objects on moral or religious grounds, they must make reasonable efforts to transfer you to someone who will honor your instructions. Your documents have teeth — as long as they're valid.
That's exactly what this kit ensures.
Get the Washington Advance Directive Kit →
Includes the complete guide, quick-start checklist, and all supplemental directives. One-time purchase — yours to keep, print, and use whenever you're ready.
Want to start with the basics? Download the free Washington Advance Directive Quick-Start checklist above. It covers the essential first steps — and if you decide you need the full system, you can upgrade anytime.