SB16-084 Summary

• Adopts the "Uniform Recognition of Substitute Health Care Decision-making Documents Act" as Colorado law to establish validity requirements for health care decision-making documents executed in or outside the state.

• Defines key terms including "decision-maker" (person authorized to act for an individual), "health care" (services to maintain, diagnose, or treat physical or mental conditions), and "substitute health care decision-making document" (records authorizing decision-makers for health care or personal care, excluding financial/property matters).

• Requires persons asked to accept valid documents to do so within a reasonable time and prohibits requiring additional or different forms of documents for the same authority.

• Persons who refuse to accept valid documents are subject to court orders mandating acceptance and liable for reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in enforcement actions.

• Allows persons to decline acceptance only under specific circumstances, including actual knowledge of document termination, good faith belief the document is invalid, or reports of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment by the decision-maker.