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My father passed away three years ago and I have since taken care of all transfers, etc. to my mom. But I am wondering if I need a new POA, for dealing with her things, or is the old, joint POA still in effect?

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If you are your mother's POA then you will remain her POA.

Is your mother now passed well into dementia and is unable to handle her own financials? If this is the case, and your father has now died, I would simply attend an hour of time with an Elder Law Attorney. You are likely also the one who is handling your father's Estate? You will need an attorney for that, so a Trust and Estate Attorney or Probate attorney is likely fine to run your papers past to make certain that all is in order.

I am assuming you were already acting for your father and your mother before his death.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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The law sees individuals. So, you would have had a PoA doc for each parent, separately. When you mean "joint" do you mean you shared the PoA with another family member? Can you please clarify what is currently in place for your Mom? Do you have a PoA doc for your Mom? If so, you should read it. It should only name your Mom on it.

I agree with what AlvaDeer suggested to you. Even if your Mom has mild dementia or memory impairment an elder law attorney would be the one to check her legal "capacity" to create any documents. So, do not make any assumptions whether she is able or not unless she is well into cognitive impairment.
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Reply to Geaton777
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As Geaton says, there are no joint POAs. You should have had 2 POAs for Dad, financial and Medical and two for Mom. If Mom is of sound mind, I may see the lawyer who wrote them to update if they are old. If Mom has Dementia, I may see the lawyer just to get a letter saying the POAs are still in effect.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Lizneedsanswers, welcome to the forum. As others have advised, make an appointment with the Elder Law Attorney, especially if the POA's were not drawn up by one that specializes in Elder Law.


What I like about Elder Law Attorneys is that they keep up-to-date with new State laws regarding Probate, inheritances, taxes, etc. If your Mom is still sharp enough to understand the words in a Power of Attorney, it would be good to get an updated POA, along with an updated Will, plus any other legal documents an Elder Law Attorney may recommend, such as a Medical Directive. The Attorney may find your Mom's Will is good as it stands.
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Reply to freqflyer
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