If my mom delegates a primary medical POA and an alternate. If they call the primary and they don't answer the phone does the alternate make the choice? Or only if primary is incapacitated or unavailable. Also can the Medical POA prevent certain people from visiting my mother if she is incapacitated?
South Carolina
As you can imagine, anything else would be terribly confusing.
Now, were an MD to REQUIRE a health care decision, call the primary, and the primary's husband answered and said "Golly, she just died" then the MD may ask "Do you have the phone number of the alternate POA", and may call that person.
Look up the laws for MPOA for your State and google it in this way:
"Under what circumstances does an alternate MPOA serve in the state of __________."
If this is emergent, discuss with the doctor caring for your loved one.
More information will always get better answers on the Forum.
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Normally the second in line steps in if the 1st one becomes unable to continue handling the responsibility.
Many family relationships have been destroyed due to in-house fighting over MPOA's, DPOA's and so forth.