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The funeral home had her death certificate with his name on it? Being next of kin wouldn't I have then the power of attorney over him?

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POA can not be passed from one person to another nor inherited- it must be given by the principal. If your father is still mentally competent he can have the position given to you by the usual legal process. Otherwise it would be necessary to file for guardianship of your father. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother.
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Power of Attorney can be anyone your Dad appoints, it could be you, another relative, a good friend, even an attorney. And it has to be in writing, witnessed, and notarized. Now your Dad would need to be able to understand the legal document he is signing.

This is one reason why it is important to have two names, if possible, on a Power of Attorney. When I had my parents redo their Power of Attorney, the Elder Law attorney had my parents be each others POA, and my name as second in line for each one.

It was a good move, as when Dad had gone into the hospital, my Mom didn't want to go to the hospital because she could barely hear or see. Thus, I then represented my Dad when he couldn't make decisions for himself.
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A POA is only a document when people are alive. The Will will name an Executor to settle the Estate. POA's usually outline a secessor if your Mom was your Dad's POA and she has passed away. Your Dad's POA would need to name you in his documents. Next of kin and POA are no t the same thing.
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Being next of kin does not give you POA over your dad. Either he must give it to you or some one if he is competent or you must file for guardianship.
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All of the above answers are on target. My question for you is do you have the Statutory Durable Power of Attorney document that was originally executed? Your answer may be in there. If you cannot find a hard copy, maybe they filed it with the County Clerk? I file documents like that to make sure I always have a certified copy. Second question, what is your father's situation? Is he able to care for himself and make decisions?
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Well let's step back a bit. Mom died and she had a Will. Who is the Executor? If it was Dad and he is incapacitated, the next of kin should ask the court to appoint someone else. The next of kin in the following order: (a) Child or children; (b) father or mother; (c) brothers or sisters; (d) grandchildren; (e) nephews or nieces. Since you have to go to court for probate, also ask for a motion to appoint a guardian/conservator for the incapacitated Dad.
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If he can not appoint you as POA your option would be Guardianship.
IF he is competent at this point he can appoint you or someone else as Financial POA and he should also have a Healthcare POA. They can be the same person.
But a POA does not pass from one person to another like an heirloom.
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I agree with "Rainmom" and I am sorry for your loss. Once a person dies, all legal contracts (which is what a POA is) dies with that person. I would recommend you check out the definition of a POA which you can access online. There are attorneys online which can explain what happens when a person dies.
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I'm afraid I dont completely understand the original question-- first part seems to ask about POA (it ends upon moms death, unless there is a successor POA, check the poa document). The second part of the original question seems to be saying the mom's name on her death certificate was erroneously listed as the dad's name (?). Does anyone else understand the 2nd question?
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My mom's Death Cert contains her legal name, her maiden name, her Soc Sec number, her sex, her birth date, her place of birth. The next section has her date of death, place of death, county, marital status, spouse name, her parents names, the funeral home name, and "disposition" which refer to either burial or cremation (or hold for autopsy, or donate body to science I imagine).
The 3rd section lists cause of death, and underlying condition(s), manner of death (natural, vs. Homicide, accident or suicide), her doctor name who pronounced her dead and their address.
The entire certificate is Officially filed & signed by the State Registrar and it has the official State Seal amd watermarked security paper.
Hope this helps with what a Death Certificate is. Once someone dies you cannot "do" anything without this document, keep it in a very safe place and do not dispose of it. Banks, loans, insurance etc often times require an original Certificate before issuing funds to Beneficiary or to sell car or home titled in the Decedents name.
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