Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-576 (2026)

Appointment of health care representative

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a) Any person eighteen years of age or older may appoint a health care representative by executing a document in accordance with section 19a-575a or section 19a-577, signed and dated by such person in the presence of two adult witnesses who shall also sign the document. The person appointed as representative shall not act as witness to the execution of such document or sign such document.

(b) For persons who reside in facilities operated or licensed by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, at least one witness shall be an individual who is not affiliated with the facility and at least one witness shall be a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in treating mental illness.

(c) For persons who reside in facilities operated or licensed by the Department of Developmental Services, at least one witness shall be an individual who is not affiliated with the facility and at least one witness shall be a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in developmental disabilities.

(d) An operator, administrator or employee of a hospital, residential care home, rest home with nursing supervision or chronic and convalescent nursing home may not be appointed as a health care representative by any person who, at the time of the appointment, is a patient or a resident of, or has applied for admission to, one of the foregoing facilities. An administrator or employee of a government agency that is financially responsible for a person's medical care may not be appointed as a health care representative for such person. This restriction shall not apply if such operator, administrator or employee is related to the principal by blood, marriage or adoption.

(e) A physician or advanced practice registered nurse shall not act as both health care representative for a principal and attending physician or advanced practice registered nurse for the principal.

(P.A. 91-283, S. 3; P.A. 93-407, S. 2; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 22, 130; P.A. 95-257, S. 11, 58; P.A. 97-112, S. 2; P.A. 06-195, S. 67; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a); P.A. 18-168, S. 37.)

History: P.A. 93-407 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to Sec. 19a-577 and adding reference to Sec. 19a-575a; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to Sec. 19a-577, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Mental Health with Commissioner and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-112 replaced “home for the aged” with “residential care home”; P.A. 06-195 amended Subsecs. (a), (d) and (e) by substituting “health care representative” for “health care agent” and “agent”, amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) by substituting “licensed clinical psychologist” for “clinical psychologist” and made technical changes throughout section; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 “Department of Mental Retardation” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Developmental Services”, effective October 1, 2007; P.A. 18-168 amended Subsecs. (b), (c) and (e) by adding references to advanced practice registered nurse.

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Notes of Decisions

Cited in 2 cases, 2007–2012 · leading case: Rzayeva v. United States, 492 F. Supp. 2d 60 (D. Conn. 2007).

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Rzayeva v. United States, 492 F. Supp. 2d 60 (D. Conn. 2007). · cites it 4× “Section 19a-576 provides in relevant part: “An administrator or employee of a government agency that is financially responsible for a person's medical care may not be appointed as a health care agent for such person.”

Hannaford v. Mann, 38 A.3d 1239 (Conn. App. Ct. 2012). · cites it 3× “For example, General Statutes § 19a-576, which authorizes a person to execute a document appointing a health care representative, provides in relevant part that “ [t]he *275 person appointed as representative shall not act as witness to the execution of such document or sign…”

— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-576(d) — 1 case

Rzayeva v. United States, 492 F. Supp. 2d 60 (D. Conn. 2007). “Section 19a-576 provides in relevant part: “An administrator or employee of a government agency that is financially responsible for a person's medical care may not be appointed as a health care agent for such person.”

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