The "If Something Happens" Emergency Binder
A printable, fillable binder that gathers your family's medical, insurance, money and legal details in one place. 85 pages, with a Large Print edition included.
This is a paid printable we made with Sage & Sum. The guides, calculators and tools on SeniorGovBenefits.com stay free. If you want to try it first, there is a free seven-page sample below.
Why keep a binder
After a fall, a hospital stay or a death, families spend the first days looking for the same things: the medication list, the insurance cards, the lawyer's name, the place the will is kept. A binder puts those answers in one place before anyone needs them.
It helps if you are only the one who gets the phone call, too. With a filled-in binder, you are not guessing what a parent takes, who their doctor is, or what they wanted.
What is inside
- Grab-and-Go sheet: one front-and-back page for the fridge, the car and the emergency room.
- A. Personal and medical: contacts, doctors, medications, allergies, health history, daily routine and care preferences.
- B. Insurance and government benefits: Medicare, Medigap and Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Social Security, VA, TRICARE and other policies.
- C. Money and accounts: bank and retirement accounts, debts, monthly bills, property, taxes and a one-page money snapshot.
- D. Legal papers and wishes: a document locator, who holds which role, a health care wishes worksheet, a planning gaps checklist, digital life and funeral wishes.
- E. Family and responsibilities: who does what, a helper directory, household information and a caregiver notes log.
- F. When something happens: four plain-language guides for a hospital stay, a parent who can no longer live alone, the first 72 hours after a death and the weeks after.
What you get
- The binder in Standard print (85 pages)
- The binder in Large Print (104 pages)
- Tab dividers A to F for card stock
- A document inventory spreadsheet that works in Excel and Google Sheets
- A quick start guide
Everything is a digital download. Nothing is shipped.
How it works
- Download the files.
- Print the pages you want, or open the PDF and type into it.
- Fill it in over about three one-hour sittings. Start with the Grab-and-Go sheet.
- Keep it somewhere safe, tell two people where it is, and update it once a year.
Get the binder
$20
One download with everything above. Checkout is secure and handled by Gumroad on our partner Sage & Sum's shop.
Buy the Emergency BinderDisclosure: SeniorGovBenefits.com earns money when you buy the binder, through Sage & Sum. See our advertising and affiliate disclosure.
Try the free sample first
The free sample has seven pages: where to start, both Grab-and-Go pages, emergency contacts, a medication list and the document locator. Type into it or print it.
Get the free sample (opens in Google Drive, no sign-up needed. Download it to type into it.)
Free guides that go with it
- Power of Attorney vs. Guardianship vs. Advance Directive
- Advance Directive Readiness Checklist
- Funeral and Burial Assistance Finder
- Medicaid Look-Back Period Explained
- Social Security and Medicare Scam Red Flags
- Official government help lines
Frequently asked questions
Is this a legal document?
No. It is an organizer. It tells your family where the real legal documents are and what you want, but it does not replace a will, a power of attorney or an advance directive. For those, talk to an attorney, legal aid or your Area Agency on Aging.
Do I need both the Standard and the Large Print edition?
No. They hold the same pages. Large Print has bigger type and more writing room. Use whichever is easier on your eyes.
Can I use it for more than one person?
Yes. Save a copy of the PDF for each person, for example one for Mom and one for Dad, and print extra copies of any page.
Is my information sent anywhere?
No. When you type into the PDF, what you write stays on your computer. Save the file somewhere private. The binder also asks you not to write full passwords, PINs or Social Security numbers, only where they are kept.
Which programs does it cover?
Medicare, Medigap and Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Social Security, VA and TRICARE benefits, and other insurance. It prints no dollar amounts or limits that change each year, so it does not go out of date. Links and QR codes lead to current figures on this site.
What do I need to open it?
A free PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, or Chrome, Edge or Firefox, on a computer. You can also print it and write by hand. Some phone and tablet viewers cannot fill in the larger boxes.
Will it be updated?
We update it each year and put the new year on the cover. If you bought an earlier edition and have questions about updates, write to contact@seniorgovbenefits.com.
Who made it
The binder was written by the SeniorGovBenefits.com team and created with Sage & Sum, which sells it on Gumroad. We checked the phone numbers and program rules in it against official sources, in the same way we check our calculators (see our editorial methodology). It prints no dollar figures that change every year.
The binder is an organizer for general information. It is not legal, financial, tax or medical advice, and it is not a legal document. SeniorGovBenefits.com is not a government agency and is not affiliated with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read our full disclaimer.