Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
C
cehollowell Asked May 2023

I'm my 95-year-old father's caregiver. I have a durable power of attorney but it seems useless. No one wants to honor the POA. Any suggestions?

Its getting to the point where he can't sign his name and this is about to be a huge issue if I can't conduct his business. Any suggestions?

Daughterinlaw56 May 2023
Can you get to the bank, the two of you and get your name on the accounts?

Llamalover47 May 2023
cehollowell: Perchance is the DPOA not notarized by a notary public?

ADVERTISEMENT


JoAnn29 May 2023
Is the POA immediate or Springing?

Immediate means as soon as Dad signed it, it was in effect. Springing you need a doctor or more to say he in incompetent to make informed decisions. My Mom had a lawyer do her's IMO more valid. A lawyer is able to interview the principle and make sure they are competent and not being coerced.

My Bank did not require their own POA. They took my copy and made a copy. Same with doctors, hospitals and rehab.

KNance72 May 2023
You need to go to his bank with him
and have paperwork for POA and healthcare proxy notarized at his bank with 2 witnesses . You can get the paperwork off the Internet. Then put your name on his accounts with his permission. Keep original copies in a safe place and make copies .
TouchMatters May 2023
Perhaps he doesn't need to go to the bank.
I opened an account for my disabled client who could not leave her apt. I took all her ID, etc. to the bank and the bank personnel called her to verify.
I presume all was done according to the law / legal requirements.

This was about 6+- years ago. I don't think anything has changed.
When a person is disabled, provisions need to be in place.

For instance, when my client needed her DMV ID card renewed, a DMV representative came to her apartment to handle this need.

Gena / Touch Matters
Sample May 2023
Been there I can not withdraw money out of my wife’s retirement account. We have been with Wells Fargo over 40 years.
JoAnn29 May 2023
Wells Fargo is known for not excepting POAs
lkdrymom May 2023
My father's credit union was extremely helpful to me, Bank of America made every step insanely difficult.

I never had any issues with doctors, in fact they wanted to tell me more than I wanted to know.

Is your name on any of his accounts? You may need to do that.

Geaton777 May 2023
MJ1929 is correct... most banks will make you go through their own paperwork to establish PoA with them (I did this with Wells Fargo, BoA, PNC and Old National).

Are you bringing the PoA documents with you to his medical appointments? Tell them you have the paperwork and they will scan it and put it in his records.

If "no one" is honoring it you need to ask them bluntly why not, assuming all the docs are properly executed.

cwillie May 2023
Some people from the forum have resorted to changing banks when theirs was inflexible. Also setting up online banking and automatic bill payments can bypass a lot of red tape.

MJ1929 May 2023
Who is no one -- banks?

They're notoriously rigid about POAs because they want THEIR POA forms, not yours.

I suggest going to the bank (or whoever is giving you guff) and asking what they require in order to have them honor your POA. Sometimes it's just a matter of you filling out their form with your PON attached to it.

Did an attorney prepare the POA? Maybe have him write a letter verifying the legality of it that you can bring with you.

Are you sure the POA was done correctly with a notary's stamp?

If everything is legal and was done properly, put the ball in their court and make them tell you how they'll honor a legal piece of paper.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter