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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>63401</law_id><section_number>54.1-2989.1</section_number><catch_line>Failure to deliver advance directive</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="29">Medicine and Other Healing Arts</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="8">Health Care Decisions Act</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>An <span class="dictionary">agent</span> in <span class="dictionary">possession</span> of an advance medical directive vesting any power or authority in him shall, when the instrument is otherwise valid, be deemed to possess the powers and authority granted by such instrument notwithstanding any failure by the <span class="dictionary">declarant</span> to deliver the instrument to him, and persons dealing with such <span class="dictionary">agent</span> shall have no obligation to inquire into the manner or circumstances by which such <span class="dictionary">possession</span> was acquired; provided, however, that nothing herein shall preclude the <span class="dictionary">court</span> from considering such manner or circumstances as relevant factors in a proceeding brought to remove the <span class="dictionary">agent</span> or revoke the directive.</p></section></text><history>2003, c. 269.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
