How To Register Your Advance Directive
Registering your advance directive stores a digital copy of your document in the Vermont Advance Directive Registry (VADR) for your health care team to access if needed. To submit, you will need to have a completed advance directive. Once registered, you will receive:
- A confirmation letter via mail, including your VADR Wallet ID card
- The VADR Wallet ID card includes your name, date of birth, registration ID number and primary emergency contact information.
- Additional VADR stickers for other forms of ID or insurance cards
- VADR Stickers include the 24/7 hotline number for health care providers to request a faxed copy of your advance directive. They are also a reminder that you have completed an advance directive if you are ever hospitalized and can not speak for yourself.
- Annual reminders via email to review your account information and advance directive.
Registration is free for all Vermont residents and is not required in order to have a valid advance directive.
Submission Options:
When you complete your document, you will have the option to register via mail, fax, or email, or to submit online with user upload by uploading a PDF your document from your home computer.
If you registered before:
If you have registered a directive in the past, you already have an account. To submit an updated advance directive, please follow the instructions for making an update.
Registering your advance directive is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
Complete your advance directive form. It must be signed and properly witnessed.
Your advance directive is legally valid as soon as signing and witnessing is completed. If you choose not to register your document, make sure you share copies with your health care agents, physician and local hospital. See our advance directive checklist for recommendations on what to do with your completed advance directive.
Complete the Required Information and sign in Document A of the VT Advance Directive Registry Registration Agreement and Authorization to Change form to allow authorized healthcare facilities and providers to access your document. If you already have an account, complete Document B on this form instead.
NOTE: The VADR Registration Agreement/Authorization to Change form is only required if you are submitting via mail, fax or email. If you submit with User Upload, you can give permission to create and update your account online during the upload process.
Mail, Fax, or Email Submission
Send a copy of your signed and witnessed advance directive and signed Registration Agreement/Authorization to Change form to:
Vermont Ethics Network
61 Elm Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
Fax: 802-828-2646
Email:
OR
Online User Upload:
You can also create your account and upload your document online. Your completed document must be in PDF format to be uploaded.
Keep the Original!
Please do not mail your original document to the VADR. Physical documents are not stored at the VADR and will not be returned. Send a photocopy of your document instead.
Why Register?
Registering your advance directive is the best way to keep your health plan secure and accessible to health care providers if you are ever hospitalized and unable to speak for yourself. Authorized health care providers and all Vermont hospitals have special permission to search the Vermont Advance Directive Registry (VADR) and can download a copy of your advance directive and add it to your medical record.
FAQs:
Registering your advance directive is optional and your document is legally valid as soon as it is signed and witnessed. Vermont advance directives must be signed by you (the principle), and two adult witnesses. Witnesses can not be your health care agents or immediate family members (spouse, parents, children, siblings or grandchildren). Your health care provider and other medical staff can be witnesses to your advance directive.
This administrative form is required ONLY when making a submission via mail, fax or email to the VADR. This form will be completed digitally during the online user upload process and is not required when using the user upload submission method. If submitting via mail/fax/email, please always complete the Required Information on page 1 before moving on to page 2.
On page 2:
- First-time registrants must complete Document A to establish their VADR accounts.
- Current registrants making updates must complete Document B to indicate the type of change they are making.
Click here to view the form in your browser.
When you submit via mail, fax, or email, your Advance Directive and Registration Form are received by support staff at the Vermont Ethics Network. Your document is reviewed to make sure that all pages are included and that the signatures were completed properly. If everything is correct, support staff will create your VADR account and upload a scanned PDF copy of your directive. This review process can take 1-2 weeks.
After your account is created and your document uploaded, you will receive your confirmation letter, wallet ID card and VADR stickers.
If your document was missing pages, or not signed properly, you will receive a customized letter via mail which will include your submitted documents and a letter of instruction on how to correct and resubmit your document.
Yes, the VADR uses secure servers based in New Jersey and is managed by the US Advance Care Plan Registry (USACPR). Individual registrants can only access their own account and advance directive using their username and password. Health care providers and hospitals need to apply for access to search the registry and each application is reviewed by the Vermont Department of Health. Once health care providers/facilities are approved, they must use a unique two-factor authentication to log in and query the VADR.
Documents registered with the VADR cannot be edited in your account. In order to change the advance directive in your account, you must submit a complete and updated advance directive with updated signatures. Each submission is reviewed for accuracy and documents without completed signatures are sent back for proper completion before the account can be updated.
Only health care providers, hospitals and the people you trust to share your username and password with will be able to access your advance directive.
Yes! Visit our VADR Customer Support page to find out more about who to contact for support with your account.
Phone support is available for all Vermonters Monday-Thursday from 8:30-4:00 at 1-802-828-2909
Email support is available at
Yes. Documents sent to the Westfield, New Jersey address or to the prior submission email or fax number are still being received and will be processed as usual. If you have sent your document to the New Jersey address, you may experience a slight delay in receiving your confirmation letter via mail.
If you have not received confirmation of your registration, please call 1-802-828-2909 or email to check on the status of your submission.
If you have a copy of your advance directive and would like to submit for registration with user upload or email submission, you will need to make sure your document is in PDF format. PDF (portable document format) is a universal file format that is compatible with all computer software and electronic medical records at hospitals.
You can always submit your document via mail or fax if you don’t have a PDF version.
Mail to:
Vermont Ethics Network
61 Elm Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
Fax: 1-802-828-2646
Converting your Advance Directive to a PDF
