Just curious because I don’t have funds to pay for it. She will be private pay til Medicaid. Will Medicaid cover all expense? I’m nervous about getting into financial problems placing mom.
First and foremost, READ everything you're asked to sign, even if it takes a while.
People who present me with contracts hate me because I read and understand every word before I sign. It can take a while, so too bad for them. I often ask cuestions, and of course, they don't know the answers because THEY never read the contract. I cross out parts I don't agree to, and I ALWAYS get a copy of the final signed version.
You say that you share POA with sister. Have you no idea how to sign as POA?
Please do some research online about your abilities and your duties as POA because it is a fiduciary duty that involves accounting for all monies and etc.
A POA does not sign his or her own name. She signs the principle's names. So if your Mother is named Betty Jones and your name is Diane Smith you would sign your mothers name with your name as POA. So you would sign "Betty Jones by Diane Smith as POA". There are other ways to sign but that's about the shortest. That means that BETTY JONES or her estate is responsible for payment, not Diane Smith. Do not sign your own name EVER.
What they mean about not signing is do not sign anything making you responsible for payment. I usually singed my name with POA after my name. I always asked about how the person wanted me to sign the paperwork. My Moms name with mine underneath with my POA.
If you placing Mom in MC make sure they will except Medicaid after her money runs out. In my State you have to pay privately for at least 2yrs before Medicaid can be considered. And even then, it will determine if the AL has a Medicaid bed available.
I was told - several times - because I asked many times - about my PERSONAL / FINANCIAL responsibility when signing xxx POA for xxx.
Every time, I was told - no, this is not your personal money. You are not financially, personally responsible.
From my understanding, a POA MANAGES the resourses and personal health decisions of the person they are the POA for ...
There was no way I could have or would have put myself in a position to be financially responsible for my friend-companion (when I became responsible for his entire life: POA, VA Fiduciary, Soc Sec Payee Rep ... ) as I do not / did not have the funds to take that on.
The caveat here is that he was eligible for all government aid and paid nothing due to being indigent, and perhaps due to his age, qualified.
ALWAYS PROTECT YOURSELF / YOUR OWN ASSETS
Contact an attorney before signing anything.*
Know your rights and responsibilities before signing on the dotted line.
* There are some kind legal professionals out there. In reaching out to various attorneys locally, I found an attorney who offered to create my friend's Will pro bono (I had said that xxx could pay something although did not have much money).
I tend to agree w one response here - facilities don't care who pays the bills as long as they are paid. If they are not, either the state (some government subsidy will help / pay for care) or the person will be required to leave. As in the case with my friend, he went to a nursing home. While there were issues / concerns (and I dealt with them to the best of my ability), I felt he was 'lucky' to have any 24/7 care / meals / in a nursing home. There was nowhere else for him to go. It certainly is a mixed bag.
We, as a society need to care for 'us' as we age, become disabled, inflicted with dementia. People shouldn't be housed (worse) than animals in a shelter ... (and some are). Caring for us 'as a collective people' in the richest country in the world SHOULD BE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY ... has to start with masses speaking out ... by voting caring, concerned citizens into office - people who care about human life. Excuse me for shifting into a political discussion although to me, 'every' aspect of society is political - we are either humanitarians caring for the masses or we focus on caring for our individual nuclear family / self. It is how the pie is distributed; it isn't that we don't have an ample pie.
You are correct. The POA legally manages the money and makes the decisions for a person acting in their best interests.
They do not use their own money to pay any expenses. It is not beneath a memory care, nursing home, rehab, or and other LTC facility to try and trick a POA into signing documents assuring that they will personally take responsibility for someone's debts to get paid.
That is why it is so important to always put the letters 'POA' after your name and to put the person's name also on the check, document, any paperwork.
Hmmm...my sister's bank requires me to sign " MY name, POA" Under my sisters' signature. Is this not correct? Sounds like I am not only one needs clarification.
Here is how you place her without signing. If you are the POA, you will be required to sign admission forms for her into the facility.
READ THEM VERY CAREULLY!!! Then sign them. They will try to slip in a form giving them access to her bank accounts and will often do this under the guise of saying they are forms to bill Medicare. Don't believe this because Medicare does not pay for memory care or any other LTC. Stay in touch with them though because if she requires hospitalization at any point and is admitted for more that three days, Medicare will pay for some nursing home days if she requires skilled care for a time and she will not owe cash pay for those days.
DO NOT for any reason give the facility her Social Security number or any banking information.
As POA it is your right to insist on a written bill every month and you should insist. When you receive the monthly bill from the memory care, read it very carefully and make sure it's accurate and no more than is owed. Do not pay in advance because if (God forbid) she passes, that money is not returned to the person's estate and family.
You would do well to pay her monthly memory care bill with a bank cashier's check . You will have to go to the bank once a month and purchase one (they're usually about $7-$10) for the amount owed to the memory care for the month.
-Don't pay a bill a month ahead.
-Don't allow them to have her Social Security number
-Don't allow them to have any banking or routing numbers. which means do not pay them using a personal check from her bank account.
-Sign all documents with your name and the letters 'POA' after your name along with her name. Make sure to put the 'POA' and her name either above your signature or below it. This way you will not mistakenly be assuming any responsibility for her bills and debts.
The facility will get insistent, but you do not have to allow them access to her accounts.
You sign as POA> That should be the way you sign for ALL mom's POA work. You sign for instance "my Mom" by "her daughter" (insert names) and after "by her daughter add "as power of attorney.
It would look like this:
Alva Deer by Little Deer as POA or Alva Deer by Little Deer TTE (trustee)
When I put mom in and sister in AL, there was an option for me to sign paperwork that said I was financially responsible for the AL payment. I said I would not be responsible, and they said that was fine, but sometimes a child is the one paying. I did not sign it.
Now mom has died and sister, on SSDI, is staying there. She does not have the funds to cover the rent, and they know this. I am paying the bulk of the rent from mom’s checking that was POD to me (still part of the estate) until the estate is settled. Sister will then be self-pay using her inheritance. Again they said I didn’t have to sign as responsible party.
I think that for them, bottom line is that sister will simply be evicted if someone doesn’t pay the bill. They don’t care where the money comes from as long as it’s paid.
Anyway, you should not have to accept any responsibility for your mom to move in—but make sure you don’t accidentally sign something like that. There will be a stack of papers. Be careful!
People who present me with contracts hate me because I read and understand every word before I sign. It can take a while, so too bad for them. I often ask cuestions, and of course, they don't know the answers because THEY never read the contract. I cross out parts I don't agree to, and I ALWAYS get a copy of the final signed version.
Please do some research online about your abilities and your duties as POA because it is a fiduciary duty that involves accounting for all monies and etc.
A POA does not sign his or her own name. She signs the principle's names. So if your Mother is named Betty Jones and your name is Diane Smith you would sign your mothers name with your name as POA. So you would sign "Betty Jones by Diane Smith as POA". There are other ways to sign but that's about the shortest. That means that BETTY JONES or her estate is responsible for payment, not Diane Smith. Do not sign your own name EVER.
If you placing Mom in MC make sure they will except Medicaid after her money runs out. In my State you have to pay privately for at least 2yrs before Medicaid can be considered. And even then, it will determine if the AL has a Medicaid bed available.
Every time, I was told - no, this is not your personal money. You are not financially, personally responsible.
From my understanding, a POA MANAGES the resourses and personal health decisions of the person they are the POA for ...
There was no way I could have or would have put myself in a position to be financially responsible for my friend-companion (when I became responsible for his entire life: POA, VA Fiduciary, Soc Sec Payee Rep ... ) as I do not / did not have the funds to take that on.
The caveat here is that he was eligible for all government aid and paid nothing due to being indigent, and perhaps due to his age, qualified.
ALWAYS PROTECT YOURSELF / YOUR OWN ASSETS
Contact an attorney before signing anything.*
Know your rights and responsibilities before signing on the dotted line.
* There are some kind legal professionals out there. In reaching out to various attorneys locally, I found an attorney who offered to create my friend's Will pro bono (I had said that xxx could pay something although did not have much money).
I tend to agree w one response here - facilities don't care who pays the bills as long as they are paid. If they are not, either the state (some government subsidy will help / pay for care) or the person will be required to leave. As in the case with my friend, he went to a nursing home. While there were issues / concerns (and I dealt with them to the best of my ability), I felt he was 'lucky' to have any 24/7 care / meals / in a nursing home. There was nowhere else for him to go. It certainly is a mixed bag.
We, as a society need to care for 'us' as we age, become disabled, inflicted with dementia. People shouldn't be housed (worse) than animals in a shelter ... (and some are). Caring for us 'as a collective people' in the richest country in the world SHOULD BE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY ... has to start with masses speaking out ... by voting caring, concerned citizens into office - people who care about human life. Excuse me for shifting into a political discussion although to me, 'every' aspect of society is political - we are either humanitarians caring for the masses or we focus on caring for our individual nuclear family / self. It is how the pie is distributed; it isn't that we don't have an ample pie.
Gena / Touch Matters
You are correct. The POA legally manages the money and makes the decisions for a person acting in their best interests.
They do not use their own money to pay any expenses.
It is not beneath a memory care, nursing home, rehab, or and other LTC facility to try and trick a POA into signing documents assuring that they will personally take responsibility for someone's debts to get paid.
That is why it is so important to always put the letters 'POA' after your name and to put the person's name also on the check, document, any paperwork.
Under my sisters' signature.
Is this not correct?
Sounds like I am not only one needs clarification.
READ THEM VERY CAREULLY!!! Then sign them. They will try to slip in a form giving them access to her bank accounts and will often do this under the guise of saying they are forms to bill Medicare. Don't believe this because Medicare does not pay for memory care or any other LTC. Stay in touch with them though because if she requires hospitalization at any point and is admitted for more that three days, Medicare will pay for some nursing home days if she requires skilled care for a time and she will not owe cash pay for those days.
DO NOT for any reason give the facility her Social Security number or any banking information.
As POA it is your right to insist on a written bill every month and you should insist. When you receive the monthly bill from the memory care, read it very carefully and make sure it's accurate and no more than is owed. Do not pay in advance because if (God forbid) she passes, that money is not returned to the person's estate and family.
You would do well to pay her monthly memory care bill with a bank cashier's check . You will have to go to the bank once a month and purchase one (they're usually about $7-$10) for the amount owed to the memory care for the month.
-Don't pay a bill a month ahead.
-Don't allow them to have her Social Security number
-Don't allow them to have any banking or routing numbers. which means do not pay them using a personal check from her bank account.
-Sign all documents with your name and the letters 'POA' after your name along with her name. Make sure to put the 'POA' and her name either above your signature or below it. This way you will not mistakenly be assuming any responsibility for her bills and debts.
The facility will get insistent, but you do not have to allow them access to her accounts.
It would look like this:
Alva Deer by Little Deer as POA
or
Alva Deer by Little Deer TTE (trustee)
Sorry I misunderstood : (
Now mom has died and sister, on SSDI, is staying there. She does not have the funds to cover the rent, and they know this. I am paying the bulk of the rent from mom’s checking that was POD to me (still part of the estate) until the estate is settled. Sister will then be self-pay using her inheritance. Again they said I didn’t have to sign as responsible party.
I think that for them, bottom line is that sister will simply be evicted if someone doesn’t pay the bill. They don’t care where the money comes from as long as it’s paid.
Anyway, you should not have to accept any responsibility for your mom to move in—but make sure you don’t accidentally sign something like that. There will be a stack of papers. Be careful!
See All Answers