Powers of attorney are critical when you have an older child with special needs. If you are the parent of a child with special needs, you likely have grown accustomed to making medical, educational, and legal decisions on behalf of your child as a minor. When your child turns 18 and becomes a legal adult, your legal authority ends as your child’s parent. However, when your adult child has special needs, they may still need significant assistance in making these types of decisions or may be unable to make them altogether. Whatever your family’s situation may be, a special needs attorney can assist you in determining whether powers of attorney are right for you and your family.
Powers of Attorney in General
Powers of attorney are legal documents that give a person the legal authority to make specified decisions or take certain actions on behalf of another. A parent can use a power of attorney to help an adult child with special needs make important decisions if they need assistance. However, there also may be a point at which an adult child with special needs becomes incapacitated. In that instance, a power of attorney allows the parent to make important decisions on the adult child’s behalf.
Financial Powers of Attorney
A financial power of attorney is a document that an individual with special needs may use to designate someone to act on their behalf if they’re not able to manage their finances.
For state-specific information on the Power of Attorney document, members of the Special Needs Alliance are available to provide information for their state.
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