POWERS OF ATTORNEY

What are “powers of attorney”?

Documents where you name a trusted adult to speak for you if you are incapacitated or unavailable. The person you name is called your “agent.”

A General or Financial Power of Attorney gives your agent the power to sign contracts for you, spend your money, handle your property, pay your bills, hire people to handle your affairs or property, etc.

A Health Care Power of Attorney gives your agent the power to make medical decisions for you and to give and receive all of your health care information.

There is another type of power of attorney in Wisconsin called a Delegation of Parental Authority. This allows you to temporarily delegate parental powers to another trusted adult. For example, people may sign this type of document if they are traveling.

Why would I need POAs?

In Wisconsin, every adult should consider signing POAs, in case they become incapacitated due to illness or injury, or if they will be traveling and someone may need to handle their affairs for them in their absence. If they have not named an agent in a POA, then a guardianship may be needed.

If you have not signed POAs, and a doctor determines that you are mentally incapacitated, and decisions about your property or your health care need to be made, a court-appointed guardian will be required. By signing POAs, your trusted adult agent will be able to handle things for you in an emergency, and no guardian will be needed.

Similarly, if you will be traveling or otherwise unable to handle your own financial accounts and property (for instance, if you are going into state custody), signing a financial POA will let another trusted adult manage your affairs while you are unavailable.