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             SUMMARY OF STATE LIVING WILL LEGISLATION

WEST VIRGINIA

Synopsis: West Virginia has a strong living will statute. The
statute requires that upon confirmation of a terminal condition,
the physician must effectuate the living will, or notify the next
of kin of the patient of his refusal to cause a transfer of the
patient. The statute requires the fact of the living will to be
noted on the patient's chart. To prepare a living will using the
State of West Virginia recommended form, please select living
will preparation from the opening menu. Remember that the
publisher recommends preparing a "uniform" living will in
addition to the form suggested with by the State of West
Virginia. Please also consider executing a living will for any
State that you spend more than a few weeks per year, or where you
are a temporary resident.

Statute number: W. Va. Code Chapt. 16 Art 30 

Statute title: "West Virginia Natural Death Act"

Governmental Agency to contact for more information: None
specified

A specific form of living will is suggested 

Witness requirements: Number: 2 Relationship: Witnesses may
not be related by blood or marriage, may not be directly
responsible for the medical costs of the declarant, may not be
entitled to inherit whether by will or intestacy, may not be the
attending physician of the declarant or an employee of the
physician or hospital in which the declarant is a patient and
must be over 18 years of age.

Recording of the living will is not provided for by the statute
Revocation of the living will may be made by tearing, defacing, 
burning, or by a separate document of revocation. It may be
verbally revoked by a verbal declaration, provided that the
witness reduces the revocation to writing and signs and date the
same.  Any revocation which is made known to the physician must
be recorded in the patient's records.