Desi B. Coupler is a unifier. In situations of murky understanding, Desi reveals her Rights 5 costume and removes her fancy horn-rimmed eyeglasses. When she places those eyeglasses delicately on the table, LGBT couples see the light. They see traditional barriers to legal protection lower before them. Desi can be spotted in the Law Offices of Desi B. Coupler, commitment ceremonies, anniversary parties, and the dining room tables of long-term couples.
What does the LAW mean for Coloradans?
The Designated Beneficiaries Act authorizes two competent adults who are not or cannot be married to enter into a designated beneficiary agreement, making each adult a designated beneficiary — and decision-maker in case of incapacity — of the other. Under this contract, which is filed with the clerk and recorder's office in the county where one of the parties resides, you get to choose who you want to be named to make decisions for you in case of emergency or death.
Some of the specific areas covered in the law include: inheritance protection, life insurance benefits, health benefits, wrongful death, worker's compensation, hospital and nursing home visitation and medical decision-making.
The people who will benefit from this law include: LGBT couples who are prohibited from marrying under Colorado law; those who cannot afford legal services for estate planning; senior citizens with financial disincentives preventing them from re-marrying; and any two adults, legally unrelated to one another, who want to legally designate each other in case
of emergency.
To find out how to sign up as designated beneficiaries at your county clerk's office,
click here.
