Power of Attorney (POA) for Washington DC

A power of attorney document lets you choose a trusted friend or relative to help you with your finances and/or health care decisions. After you sign it, the person you choose will take the power of attorney document to your medical providers, bank, school, and other places to make decisions and sign contracts just as if he or she were you. The trusted friend or relative you choose to help you with your finances and/or health care decisions is called your “agent.”]\

A "durable" power of attorney survives incompetence, the point at which the grantor would have the right and authority to revoke the power. Powers of attorney that are not "durable" by their own language, as a general rule, expire upon incompetence.

A "springing" power of attorney is intended to be activated at a later date when the services delegated in the power are needed.

A "statutory" power of attorney is one for which the language and content is prescribed by statute. Two very common statutory forms are for medical care and for financial management.

A "general power of attorney" is a term of art that delegates financial management powers.

To have two similar powers of attorney, both pretending to meet the same needs, is not prudent. Most family and elder law attorneys recommend having a durable general power of attorney which should be "springing" if financial management assistance is not presently needed, and should be executed in the statutory form if one exists. The second important power of attorney would be for medical care decision-making, and may go by the name of "health care power of attorney" or "medical proxy."

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STATUTORY POWER OF ATTORNEY

NOTICE: THE POWERS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT ARE BROAD AND SWEEPING. THEY ARE EXPLAINED IN THE UNIFORM STATUTORY FORM POWER OF ATTORNEY ACT OF 1998. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE POWERS, OBTAIN COMPETENT LEGAL ADVICE. THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO MAKE MEDICAL AND OTHER HEALTH-CARE DECISIONS FOR YOU. YOU MAY REVOKE THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY IF YOU LATER WISH TO DO SO.

I ________ (insert your name and address) appoint ________ (insert the name and address of the person appointed) as my agent (attorney-in-fact) to act for me in any lawful way with respect to the following initialed subjects:

TO GRANT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING POWERS, INITIAL THE LINE IN FRONT OF (N) AND IGNORE THE LINES IN FRONT OF THE OTHER POWERS.

TO GRANT ONE OR MORE, BUT FEWER THAN ALL, OF THE FOLLOWING POWERS, INITIAL THE LINE IN FRONT OF EACH POWER YOU ARE GRANTING.

TO WITHHOLD A POWER, DO NOT INITIAL THE LINE IN FRONT OF IT. YOU MAY, BUT NEED NOT, CROSS OUT EACH POWER WITHHELD.

____ (A) Real property transactions, except transactions subject to D.C. Official Code § 42-101.

____ (B) Tangible personal property transactions.

____ (C) Stock and bond transactions.

____ (D) Commodity and option transactions.

____ (E) Banking and other financial institution transactions.

____ (F) Business operating transactions.

____ (G) Insurance and annuity transactions.

____ (H) Estate, trust, and other beneficiary transactions.

____ (I) Claims and litigation.

____ (J) Personal and family maintenance.

____ (K) Benefits from social security, medicare, medicaid, or other governmental programs, or military service.

____ (L) Retirement plan transactions.

____ (M) Tax matters.

____ (N) ALL OF THE POWERS LISTED ABOVE.

YOU NEED NOT INITIAL ANY OTHER LINES IF YOU INITIAL LINE (N).

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: ON THE FOLLOWING LINES YOU MAY GIVE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS LIMITING OR EXTENDING THE POWERS GRANTED TO YOUR AGENT:

UNLESS YOU DIRECT OTHERWISE ABOVE, THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL IT IS REVOKED.

This power of attorney will continue to be effective even though I become disabled, incapacitated, or incompetent.

STRIKE THE PRECEDING SENTENCE IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY TO CONTINUE IF YOU BECOME DISABLED, INCAPACITATED, OR INCOMPETENT.

I agree that any third party who receives a copy of this document may act under it. Revocation of the power of attorney is not effective as to a third party until the third party learns of the revocation. I agree to indemnify the third party for any claims that arise against the third party because of reliance on this power of attorney.

Signed this ____ day of ________, ____

____________

(Your Signature)

____________

(Your Social Security Number)

District of Columbia

This document was acknowledged before me on ________ (Date)

by ____________ (name of principal)

_____________________________________________________

(Signature of notary public)

(Seal)         

                                                     [My commission expires: ______ ]

BY ACCEPTING OR ACTING UNDER THE APPOINTMENT, THE AGENT ASSUMES THE FIDUCIARY AND OTHER LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN AGENT.

(b) A statutory power of attorney is legally sufficient under this chapter if the wording of the form complies substantially with subsection (a) of this section, the form is properly completed, and the signature of the principal is acknowledged.

(c) If the line in front of line (N) of the form under subsection (a) of this section is initialed, an initial on the line in front of any other power does not limit the powers granted by line (N).

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