Kenneth Vercammen, Esq is Chair of the ABA Elder Law Committee and presents seminars to attorneys and the public on Wills, Probate and other legal topics related to Estate Planning and Elder law. He is author of the ABA's book "Wills and Estate Administration. Kenneth Vercammen & Associates,
2053 Woodbridge Avenue - Edison, NJ 08817
(732) 572-0500 More information at www.njlaws.com/

Sunday, February 08, 2009

26:2H-57 Proxy, instruction directive; reaffirmed, modified, revoked.

5. a. A declarant may reaffirm or modify either a proxy directive, or an instruction directive, or both. The reaffirmation or modification shall be made in accordance with the requirements for execution of an advance directive pursuant to section 4 of this act.

b.A declarant may revoke an advance directive, including a proxy directive, or an instruction directive, or both, by the following means:

(1)Notification, orally or in writing, to the health care representative, physician, nurse or other health care professional, or other reliable witness, or by any other act evidencing an intent to revoke the document; or

(2)Execution of a subsequent proxy directive or instruction directive, or both, in accordance with section 4 of this act.

c.Designation of the declarant's spouse as health care representative shall be revoked upon divorce or legal separation, and designation of the declarant's domestic partner as defined in section 3 of P.L.2003, c.246 (C.26:8A-3) as health care representative shall be revoked upon termination of the declarant's domestic partnership, unless otherwise specified in the advance directive.

d.An incompetent patient may suspend an advance directive, including a proxy directive, an instruction directive, or both, by any of the means stated in paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section. An incompetent patient who has suspended an advance directive may reinstate that advance directive by oral or written notification to the health care representative, physician, nurse or other health care professional of an intent to reinstate the advance directive.

e.Reaffirmation, modification, revocation or suspension of an advance directive is effective upon communication to any person capable of transmitting the information including the health care representative, the attending physician, nurse or other health care professional responsible for the patient's care.