Free printable
Advance Directive Form Names by State: Free Printable
By Jason Su · Updated October 26, 2026
Advance directives have a naming problem. Every state calls its form something different: a Health Care Proxy in New York, a Directive to Physicians in Texas, an Advance Care Plan in Arkansas. Search under the wrong name and you miss the form entirely.
This table lists the official name in all 50 states. Find your state, copy the exact name, and use it to search. The name is half the job of finding the right form.
The reference table
| State | What the form is called |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Advance Directive for Health Care (Living Will and Health Care Proxy) |
| Alaska | Advance Health Care Directive |
| Arizona | Living Will + Health Care Power of Attorney |
| Arkansas | Advance Care Plan (living will + health care agent) |
| California | Advance Health Care Directive |
| Colorado | Medical Durable Power of Attorney (MDPOA) + Living Will |
| Connecticut | Living Will + Appointment of Health Care Representative |
| Delaware | Advance Health-Care Directive (combined) |
| Florida | Living Will + Designation of Health Care Surrogate |
| Georgia | Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care (one combined form) |
| Hawaii | Advance Healthcare Directive (AHCD) |
| Idaho | Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare |
| Illinois | Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney for Health Care + Living Will |
| Indiana | Health Care Representative + Living Will |
| Iowa | Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care |
| Kansas | Living Will + Power of Attorney for Health Care |
| Kentucky | Living Will + Health Care Surrogate |
| Louisiana | Living Will Declaration |
| Maine | Maine Health Care Advance Directive |
| Maryland | Maryland Advance Directive (combined) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Health Care Proxy |
| Michigan | Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (Patient Advocate Designation) |
| Minnesota | Health Care Directive |
| Mississippi | Advance Health Care Directive (statutory, Miss. Code 41-41-207) |
| Missouri | Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care + Health Care Directive |
| Montana | My Choices Advance Directive (Living Will + HCPOA) |
| Nebraska | Power of Attorney for Medical + Living Will |
| Nevada | Advance Health-Care Directive (statutory, NRS 449.800) |
| New Hampshire | Advance Directive (Durable POA + Living Will) |
| New Jersey | Proxy Directive + Instruction Directive |
| New Mexico | Advance Directive for Health Care + Medical POA |
| New York | Health Care Proxy (New York has no living will statute) |
| North Carolina | Health Care Power of Attorney + Living Will Declaration |
| North Dakota | Health Care Directive |
| Ohio | Living Will Declaration + Health Care Power of Attorney |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Advance Directive for Health Care |
| Oregon | Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care (OHA 3905) |
| Pennsylvania | Advance Health Care Directive (Pennsylvania issues no state form) |
| Rhode Island | Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care |
| South Carolina | Health Care POA + Declaration of a Desire for a Natural Death |
| South Dakota | Living Will Declaration + Durable POA for Health Care |
| Tennessee | Advance Directive for Health Care (combined) |
| Texas | Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates + Medical Power of Attorney |
| Utah | Utah Advance Health Care Directive |
| Vermont | Advance Directive for Health Care |
| Virginia | Virginia Advance Directive for Health Care |
| Washington | Health Care Power of Attorney + Living Will |
| West Virginia | Combined Medical Power of Attorney and Living Will |
| Wisconsin | Living Will + Power of Attorney for Health Care |
| Wyoming | Power of Attorney for Health Care + Instructions for Health Care |
How to use it
- Find your state in the list. The names are alphabetical, so it takes about ten seconds.
- Copy the exact name. This is the name to type into a search, not a paraphrase. “Living Will” and “Directive to Physicians” are not interchangeable.
- Open your state’s page on this site. The state guides link the official form for each state, with notes on anything unusual about it.
- If a state shows two names, you usually need both. Several states keep a living will and a health care power of attorney as separate documents.
Frequently asked
Why does every state use a different name?
Because each state wrote its own law, and the lawmakers named the document independently. The same legal idea — who decides your care if you cannot — goes by dozens of different titles across the country.
Is this the same as a living will?
A living will is usually one part of it. Many states use “advance directive” as the umbrella term and split it into a living will (your wishes) plus a health care power of attorney (your chosen person). The table above shows both when a state keeps them separate.
Where do I get the actual form?
The form itself comes from your state, usually a health department, attorney general, or court self-help page. The state guides link the official source for each state, so start there rather than a generic template site.
What if my state shows more than one name?
Sign whatever your state recognizes, and do not assume one is enough. A state that lists a living will and a health care power of attorney separately wants both, because one says what you want and the other says who decides.
Next step
Look up your state in the table, then open its page in the state guides for the official form and any state-specific rules. If you are weighing whether you need one at all, what is an advance directive explains the decision in plain English.
This is general information, not legal or medical advice. Form names, requirements, and signing rules differ by state and change over time — confirm the details with your state’s official source and talk with a licensed professional about your situation.