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We did the Medical Power of Attorney for him several years ago before he has Dementia and Alzheimer, I have been signing hospital, hospice care and convalescent paperwork for him, and was not told to sign under DPOA. Therefore, now I responsible for his debts?

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POA is not supposed to make you personally responsible for paying debts out of your own funds, and I think you would only be responsible for writing checks to pay bills from your POA person's account and doing applications for Medicaid or charity care programs if needed. Skilled care and assisted living if you sign as guarantor might be a different deal altogether - they either get paid or you don't get to stay. Don't sign as yourself or as POA if there are not funds for that.

That's the way it worked when I went through it in Pennsylvania...there could be nuances in wording or legalities that are different for you, and filial responsibility laws could possibly apply too. Keeping copies and getting real legal advice is rarely a bad idea.
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Winnie,

Yes, you absolutely have a right to anything you signed. I believe that right is established by federal statute, but I don't have the specific citation or language.

Is your father in hospice now or a convalescant home for rehab? You mention hospice but your profile states that he's in a nursing home.

Ask for copies of everything you signed from whatever facilities he's been in and/or is in now, if you don't already have copies.

Sometimes you have to be aggressive about getting copies. On my father's last rehab stay, I had to remind the admissions people a few times that they didn't provide me with copies of everything I hadn't checked off on the intake list.

Then read everything all the documentation to determine:

1. If there are notice requirements for insurance noncoverage. Medicare coverage is pretty standard for a rehab facility, which it sounds like what you father is in. If he has other insurance, check to determine if these facilities have to give you written or verbal notice a given number of days prior to determining that coverage is no longer effective.

2. Start looking for a facility that does accept his insurance, notify the doctor who wrote the script for him to be in rehab that you'll be moving him and determine if there's anything else you need to do.

I had to move my father on quick notice from a rehab facility that was highly recommended and which impressed me when I interviewed. But on the second day there we realized some of the nursing staff wasn't competent, his meds weren't being tracked properly, the staff to aide ratio was inadequate.

I contacted his prescribing physician and asked what I would need to do to ensure continued Medicare coverage when I transferred him. They wrote a letter/script confirming the continued need for rehab which I copied then gave to the facility to which I transferred him.

3. Move your father when you find a place that will take his insurance (unless he's in hospice).


If any of the staff hassle you about providing copies, contact an ombudsman for your county or for the State of California and ask for assistance.

Good luck. Let us know how this works out. And don't let any of the staff intimidate you!
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I did not get any copy from his convalescent home neither, this is the reason why i am worried. Do i have the right to request to view what I have signed?
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His current convalescent home said they no longer accept his insurance (they informed me this 5 days ago) leaving me no time to change insurance and find a placement home for him. so now i am stuck with the bill of his stay.
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It depends exactly what you signed. If you signed something that guaranteed payment, then you are personally responsible if his insurance doesn't cover a portion of his bills.

NEVER sign ANYTHING you don't understand. And ALWAYS get a copy of anything you sign.

Any number of times, I have refused to sign personally for mom's admission into the hospital. If you don't have your dad's financial power of attorney, don't sign your own name. Period.
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Check all of the paperwork you signed to see if there are any guaranties of payment. Hopefully you signed as holder of his DPOA and not individually, but it sounds as though that might not be the case.

Are any of his medical creditors hassling you for payment? I'm assuming he has Medicare; does he have any supplemental insurance?
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Do you have Durable POA for your father? His bills should be paid from his money with you using your DPOA on the checks. You are not personally responsible for his bills.
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