Guides · State guides · Connecticut
Advance Directive in Connecticut: Living Will, Health Care Representative and Witnesses
Connecticut's advance directive is a living will, an appointment of health care representative, or both. Each needs two witnesses and no notary. Here is how they work, from C.G.S. chapter 368w.
By naveen · Updated · How we research our guides
What to know
- A Connecticut living will or appointment of health care representative must be signed and dated by your parent with at least two witnesses; the law doesn't require a notary (C.G.S. 19a-575a, 19a-576).
- The person named as health care representative can't witness or sign the document.
- A living will can be revoked "at any time and in any manner," but an appointment of health care representative can be revoked only in a writing signed with two witnesses.
- Connecticut's health care statute doesn't give a ranked list of relatives the power to decide if there's no document; naming a representative is how your parent chooses.
- Retirement Checklist puts these documents in order alongside everything else your family needs to settle.
An advance directive in Connecticut is "a writing executed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, including, but not limited to, a living will, or an appointment of health care representative, or both." Under C.G.S. 19a-575a, any adult can sign one combined document with health care instructions, a health care representative, a conservator designation and an anatomical gift. It "shall be signed and dated by the maker with at least two witnesses."
What documents does Connecticut use?
Connecticut uses a living will, an appointment of health care representative, or one combined document that contains both.
| Document | What it does | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Living will | States your parent's wishes about any aspect of health care, including withholding or withdrawing life support systems | C.G.S. 19a-575, 19a-575a |
| Appointment of health care representative | Names someone to make health care decisions if your parent becomes incapacitated | C.G.S. 19a-576, 19a-577 |
| Combined document | Health care instructions, a representative, a conservator of the person and an anatomical gift in one | C.G.S. 19a-575a |
A financial power of attorney is separate and doesn't cover health care; see our Connecticut power of attorney guide. For the general picture, see power of attorney vs. advance directive.
How do you sign a Connecticut advance directive?
Your parent signs and dates it in the presence of two adult witnesses, who also sign. Under C.G.S. 19a-576, "The person appointed as representative shall not act as witness to the execution of such document or sign such document." In the statutory form, the witnesses state that your parent appeared to be of sound mind and "under no improper influence."
There are extra rules for residents of facilities operated or licensed by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services or the Department of Developmental Services: at least one witness must be unaffiliated with the facility, and at least one must be a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training.
No notary is needed. The witnesses can, at your parent's request, sign an optional sworn affidavit before a notary to make the document self-proving, but Connecticut law bars doing that by remote online notarization.
Who can't be the health care representative?
Staff of a facility where your parent lives or has applied, staff of a government agency paying for their care, and their attending physician or APRN can't serve, under C.G.S. 19a-576(d) and (e):
- an operator, administrator or employee of a hospital, residential care home, rest home with nursing supervision or chronic and convalescent nursing home, if your parent is a patient or resident there or has applied for admission, unless related to your parent;
- an administrator or employee of a government agency financially responsible for your parent's medical care, unless related;
- a physician or advanced practice registered nurse can't be both your parent's representative and their attending clinician.
Family members can serve. The representative "is authorized to make any and all health care decisions," including whether to provide, withhold or withdraw life support systems, under the statutory form's language.
When does the representative start making decisions?
Under C.G.S. 19a-579, a living will or appointment of health care representative "becomes operative when (1) the document is furnished to the attending physician or advanced practice registered nurse, and (2) the declarant is determined by the attending physician or advanced practice registered nurse to be incapacitated." The representative can ask for that determination in writing.
Comfort care and pain relief "shall be provided in all cases." If a conservator is later appointed, the representative's health care decisions take precedence absent a court order to the contrary, with listed mental health and criminal commitment exceptions (C.G.S. 19a-580e), and a conservator can't revoke the advance directive unless the court expressly authorizes it.
Where do you get Connecticut advance directive forms?
The Connecticut Attorney General offers free forms, and the statute prints its own in C.G.S. 19a-575, 19a-575a and 19a-577, saying a document "may be in substantially the following form." The Attorney General's versions are a living will, an appointment of health care representative, and a combined form containing "all of the advance directives-- appointment of health care representative, living will, appointment of conservator and organ donation in one form."
The Attorney General's forms are older than some statutory changes. For example, the current statutory forms include an option about pregnancy and refer to advanced practice registered nurses, and the Attorney General's versions do neither. The statute says a document "may be" in substantially its form; it doesn't require the exact statutory wording.
What happens if your parent has no advance directive?
Connecticut's health care statute, chapter 368w, doesn't contain a ranked list giving relatives the power to consent to treatment. For decisions about life support, the attending clinician determines your parent's wishes by consulting statements your parent made, and if available, the health care representative, next of kin, a guardian or conservator, and others your parent told (C.G.S. 19a-571). The statute defines next of kin in order: spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling, grandparent.
Otherwise, the route is a conservator of the person, appointed by the Probate Court, which first considers whether your parent made alternative arrangements such as an advance directive. See conservatorship and guardianship.
How do you revoke a Connecticut advance directive?
A living will can be revoked any time in any manner, but an appointment of health care representative only in a writing signed with two witnesses:
- Living will. It "may be revoked at any time and in any manner by the declarant, without regard to the declarant's mental or physical condition" (C.G.S. 19a-579a).
- Appointment of health care representative. It "may only be revoked by the declarant, in writing, and the writing shall be signed by the declarant and two witnesses" (C.G.S. 19a-575a). Revoking the appointment doesn't by itself revoke the living will.
Divorce matters too. A spouse's appointment as health care representative is revoked "upon the divorce or legal separation of the principal and spouse," unless your parent specifies otherwise.
What about MOLST?
A MOLST, or medical order for life-sustaining treatment, is a set of written medical orders, developed by the Department of Public Health and made by a physician, APRN or physician assistant, for a patient approaching the end stage of a serious, life-limiting illness or in advanced, chronic progressive frailty. Participation is voluntary, and since Public Act 26-68 took effect in 2026, a MOLST isn't valid unless it is completed on a form prescribed by the Department of Public Health.
Frequently asked questions
Does a living will need to be notarized in Connecticut?
No. Under C.G.S. 19a-575 and 19a-575a, a Connecticut living will or combined advance directive must be signed and dated with at least two witnesses. A notary is used only for an optional self-proving affidavit by the witnesses, and that can't be done by remote online notarization.
Can a family member witness a Connecticut advance directive?
Connecticut's health care statute doesn't bar relatives from witnessing. The person named as health care representative can't witness or sign the document, and residents of certain mental health or developmental services facilities need specific witnesses. Your parent signs in front of two adult witnesses who also sign.
Where can I get a Connecticut advance directive form?
The Connecticut Attorney General offers free forms: a living will, an appointment of health care representative, and a combined form. The statute also prints forms in C.G.S. 19a-575, 19a-575a and 19a-577. The Attorney General's forms predate some statutory changes; the statute allows forms substantially like its own.
Who makes medical decisions in Connecticut if there's no advance directive?
Chapter 368w doesn't give relatives a ranked power to consent. For life support decisions, the attending clinician consults your parent's statements and, if available, next of kin and others who know their wishes. A broader need for decisions can mean a Probate Court conservatorship. Naming a health care representative lets your parent choose instead.
Is an advance directive from another state valid in Connecticut?
Yes, if it complied with the right law. Under C.G.S. 19a-580g, health care instructions or a health care proxy executed under another state's laws, in compliance with that state's law or Connecticut's and not contrary to Connecticut public policy, are deemed validly executed. A provider may ask for a court order, a notarized statement or rely on its own analysis.
Can my parent change their mind after signing?
Yes, but the method depends on the document. A living will can be revoked at any time and in any manner. An appointment of health care representative can be revoked only in a writing signed by your parent and two witnesses, so a spoken revocation isn't enough for the appointment.
Getting started
An advance directive only helps if it's signed while your parent can sign it, with two witnesses who aren't the representative. The plan this site builds asks four questions, including which state your parents live in, and puts the steps that matter most for your family in order. It's free and takes about 90 seconds.
Related guides
Sources
- C.G.S. chapter 368w, Removal of Life Support Systems: definitions (19a-570), life support decisions (19a-571), forms and signing (19a-575, 19a-575a, 19a-576, 19a-577), when documents become operative (19a-579), revocation (19a-579a, 19a-579b) and out-of-state documents (19a-580g).
- Connecticut Attorney General, Connecticut's living will laws: the free forms.
- C.G.S. chapter 33, Notaries: the ban on remote notarization of these documents (3-95b).
- Public Act 26-68: the 2026 changes to MOLST, including the required Department of Public Health form (section 192).
- Connecticut Probate Courts, Conservatorship: what a conservator of the person does.
More on what this tool does and doesn't do, or browse everything we've written.