King & Wood, P.A.

What is the Difference between Conservatorship and Guardianship?

“The term ‘conservatorship’ was suddenly all over the news this year because of singer Britney Spears. However, whether you've been reading up on the topic because of current events or you've been trying to understand it for personal reasons, the legal jargon can be confusing.”

Just as different states have different laws and use different legal terms in estate planning, each state has their own laws and terms about guardianship and conservatorship, explains a recent article from Real Simple, “Everything You Need to Know About Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Legal Dependents.”

Guardianship and Conservatorship mean different things in different states, but both refer to legal proceedings used to make one person, guardian or conservator, responsible and in charge of another person, often known as a ward. In some states, guardianship concerns a ward who is a minor and conservatorship concerns a ward who is an adult. Your estate planning attorney will be able to clarify the rules of your state.

In general, guardianship is not something we like to think about. Who wants to consider two parents dying and leaving a child or children utterly alone? However, if you have children, you must protect them, and you do so by naming a guardian in your will. In this way, your children will be raised by someone you know and trust.

If no guardian is named, the court names a person to raise your children, and there are no requirements for the court to pick a family member.

Guardianship can be contested. People who want to become guardians of children may file a petition in court to become the child’s legal guardian. However, it is easier for all concerned when parents do this in their will or other means allowed by state law.

Conservatorship of an adult is necessary when an adult becomes incapacitated and cannot make informed decisions about medical care, financial or legal matters, or manage daily living. This may occur because of an accident, illness, stroke, or having a mental illness or disability.

An estate planning or elder law attorney files papers with the court to attain the status of conservatorship. Only a court may grant conservatorship after hearing evidence that an adult lacks mental capacity and needs this level of help.

If someone has filed for conservatorship for you, you have the right to retain an attorney and object to the petition or take action to select a different person to act as your conservator.

We also hear the term “legal dependent” used for a few different situations. A legal dependent is a qualifying child or relative who is claimed by a taxpayer on their taxes. They must be under 19 or under 24 if a full-time student. Someone who is legally deemed permanently disabled may be a legal dependent regardless of their age and they don’t have to live with you to qualify. Let’s say you have a parent who has little, or no income and you provide them with more than half (50%) of their total support. You may claim them as a dependent on your taxes.

There are many different situations and rules for guardianship, conservatorship and legal dependents. Meet with a local estate planning attorney to navigate these complex matters correctly, so you may focus on caring for loved ones.

Reference: Real Simple (Sep. 20, 2021) “Everything You Need to Know About Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Legal Dependents”

Should You Get Medical Power of Attorney?

“Ensuring that your wishes on your medical care are followed is up to you. Take action now while you’re well, or you could lose a say in the matter during a crucial time later.”

The pandemic has created awareness that being suddenly incapacitated by an illness or injury is no longer a hypothetical. The last year has reminded us that health is a fragile gift, regardless of age or any medical conditions, explains the article “Now Is the Time to Protect Your Health Care Decision Making Rights” from Kiplinger. Along with this awareness, comes an understanding that having control over our medical decisions is not assured, unless we have a well-considered health care decision-making plan created by an estate planning attorney, while we are well and healthy.

Without such a plan, in the event of incapacity, you will not have the opportunity to convey your wishes or to ensure they will be carried out. This also leaves the family in a terrible situation, where siblings may end up in court fighting against each other to determine what kind of end-of-life care you will receive.

The best way to exercise your medical decision rights will vary to some degree by your state’s laws, but three are three basic solutions to protect you. An estate planning attorney will be needed to prepare these properly, to reflect your wishes and align with your state’s law. Do-it-yourself documents may lead to more problems than they solve.

Living Will. This document is used when you are in an end-stage medical condition or permanently unconscious. It provides clear and written instructions as to the type of treatments you do or do not want to receive, or the treatment you always want to receive in case of incapacity.

Health Care Durable Power of Attorney. The health care durable POA is broader than a living will. It covers health care decisions in all situations, when you are not able to communicate your wishes. You may appoint one or more agents to make health care decisions, which they will base on their personal knowledge of what your decisions would be if you were able to speak. Just realize that if two people are named and they do not agree on the interpretation of your decision, you may have created a problem for yourself and your family. Discuss this with your estate planning attorney.

Health Care Representative Laws. There are laws in place for what occurs if you have not signed a Health Care Durable Power of Attorney or a Living Will before becoming incompetent. They are intended to fill in the gap, by authorizing certain family members to act on your behalf and make health care decisions for you. They are a solution of last resort, and not the equal of your having had the living will and/or health care durable power of attorney created for you.

If the statute names multiple people, like all of your children, there may be a difference of opinion and the children may “vote” on what’s to happen to you. Otherwise, they’ll end up in court.

The more detailed your documents, the better prepared your loved ones will be when decisions need to be made. Share your choices about specific treatments. For instance, would you want to be taken off a ventilator, if you were in a coma with limited brain function and with no hope of recovery? What if there was a slim chance of recovery? The decisions are not easy. Neither is considering such life or death matters.

Regardless of the emotional discomfort, planning for health-care decisions can provide peace of mind for yourself and loved ones.

Reference: Kiplinger (April 29, 2021) “Now Is the Time to Protect Your Health Care Decision Making Rights”

 

What can a Power of Attorney Do—or Not Do?

“The person signing the power of attorney, which gives someone else the authority to act for them, is called the ‘principal’ and the person who is given the power to act for you is called your ‘agent.’”

Power of attorney is an important tool in estate planning. The recent article “Top Ten Facts About Powers of Attorney” from My Prime Time News, explains how a POA works, what it can and cannot do and how it helps families with loved ones who are incapacitated.

The agent’s authority to powers of attorney (POA) is only effective while the person is living. It ends upon the death of the principal. At that point in time, the executor named in the last will or an administrator named by a court are the only persons legally permitted to act on behalf of the decent.

An incapacitated person may not sign a POA.

Powers of Attorney can be broad or narrow. A person may be granted POA to manage a single transaction, for example, the sale of a home. They may also be named POA to handle all of a person’s financial and legal affairs. In some states, such as Colorado, general language in a POA may not be enough to authorize certain transactions. A POA should be created with an estate planning attorney as part of a strategic plan to manage the principal’s assets. A generic POA could create more problems than it solves.

You can have more than one agent to serve under your POA. If you prefer that two people serve as POA, the POA documents will need to state that requirement.

Banks and financial institutions have not always been compliant with POAs. In some cases, they insist that only their POA forms may be used. This has created problems for many families over the years, when POAs were not created in a timely fashion.

In 2010, Colorado law set penalties for third parties (banks, etc.) that refused to honor current POAs without reasonable cause. A similar law was passed in New York State in 2009. Rules and requirements are different from state to state, so speak with a local estate planning attorney to ensure that your POA is valid.

Your POA is effective immediately, once it is executed. A Springing POA becomes effective when the conditions specified in the POA are met. This often includes having a treating physician sign a document attesting to your being incapacitated. An estate planning attorney will be able to create a POA that best suits your situation.

If you anticipate needing a trust in the future, you may grant your agent the ability to create a trust in your POA. The language must align with your state’s laws to achieve this.

Your agent is charged with reporting any financial abuse and taking appropriate action to safeguard your best interests. If your agent fails to notify you of abuse or take actions to stop the abuser, they may be liable for reasonably foreseeable damages that could have been avoided.

The agent must never use your property to benefit himself, unless given authority to do so. This gets sticky, if you own property together. You may need additional documents to ensure that the proper authority is granted, if your POA and you are in business together, for example.

Every situation is different, and every state’s laws and requirements are different. It will be worthwhile to meet with an estate planning attorney to ensure that the documents created will be valid and to perform as desired.

Reference: My Prime-Time News (April 10, 2021) “Top Ten Facts About Powers of Attorney”

People Subject to Guardian Proceedings and Legal Representation

“It’s hard to imagine being stripped by a court of the right to make decisions about finances, medical care and other matters. It’s even harder to imagine that happening without representation or the advice from a lawyer.”

In many states, if a person is deemed unable to conduct their own affairs, a court appoints a guardian who makes decisions for the person and manages their financial affairs. In some states, Pennsylvania among them, the person has no legal right to have an attorney represent them during this process, explains a recent article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Guardianship gap: Give people a right to counsel for proceedings.”

The article maintains that people who face losing control of the right to manage their lives would benefit from having the advice of an elder law attorney, especially if they wish to fight against a claim that they are incompetent.

About 18,400 adults in Pennsylvania are now under guardianship, and most are over 60 years old. There are problems with the guardianship process in the Keystone State. As a result, the state’s Supreme Court took action with the creation of an Elder Law Task Force. The task force issued a report calling for reforms six years ago—in 2014. Some reforms have been put into place. However, a recommendation to require appointed counsel was never implemented.

What is strange, the article reports, is that the goal of legal counsel is somehow marked as having been accomplished. Several members of the task force have expressed dismay that a right to legal counsel has not been completed. A number of judges do appoint counsel in guardianship cases, because they believe it is the right thing to do. But not all of them do.

Guardian oversight and abuse is the concern. An improvement was made in 2018, when new software was made available, so that guardians could submit annual reports. The software identifies possible problems in the guardian’s handling of financial affairs. This has not solved the problem, as some jurisdictions are receiving alerts, but lack the staffing to follow up.

Guardians are also not required to submit bank statements, receipts and other documentation to verify their reports.

When you have an estate plan, including a power of attorney for financial affairs, power of attorney for healthcare decisions and a last will and testament, you are in control of who will take care of financial and legal affairs, if you are deemed incompetent.

When these documents are not in place, there is a very real risk that your life will end up being managed by a court-appointed guardian, who does not know you or your family.

Speak with an estate planning attorney to ensure that your wishes are properly documented and  that someone you select is able to represent your best interests, if necessary.

Reference: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (April 9, 2020) “Guardianship gap: Give people a right to counsel for proceedings”

 

The Second Most Powerful Estate Planning Document: Power of Attorney

“A power of attorney, similar to a last will and testament, is a powerful document that must be created before it becomes necessary.”

All too often, people wait until it’s too late to execute a power of attorney. It’s uncomfortable to think about giving someone full access to our finances, while we are still competent. However, a power of attorney can be created that is fully exercisable only when needed, according to a useful article “Power of attorney can be tailored to circumstances” from The News-Enterprise. Some estate planning attorneys believe that the power of attorney, or POA, is actually the second most important estate planning document after a will. Here’s what a POA can do for you.

The term POA is a reference to the document, but it also is used to refer to the person named as the agent in the document.

Generally speaking, any POA creates a fiduciary relationship, for either legal or financial purposes. A Medical or Healthcare POA creates a relationship for healthcare decisions. Sometimes these are for a specific purpose or for a specific period of time. However, a Durable POA is created to last until death or until it is revoked. It can be created to cover a wide array of needs.

Here’s the critical fact: a POA of any kind needs to be executed, that is, agreed to and signed by a person who is competent to make legal decisions. The problem occurs when family members or spouse do not realize they need a POA, until their loved one is not legally competent and does not understand what they are signing.

Incompetent or incapacitated individuals may not sign legal documents. Further, the law protects people from improperly signing, by requiring two witnesses to observe the individual signing.

The law does allow those with limited competency to sign estate planning documents, so long as they are in a moment of lucidity at the time of the signing. However, this is tricky and can be dangerous, as legal issues may be raised for all involved, if capacity is challenged later on.

If someone has become incompetent and has not executed a valid power of attorney, a loved one will need to apply for guardianship. This is a court process that is expensive, takes several months and leads to the court being involved in many aspects of the person’s life. The basics of this process: three professionals are needed to personally assess the “respondent,” the person who is said to be incompetent. The respondent loses all rights to make decisions of any kind for themselves. They also lose the right to vote.

A power of attorney can be executed quickly and does not require the person to lose any rights.

The biggest concern to executing a power of attorney, is that the person is giving an agent the control of their money and property. This is true, but the POA can be created so that it does not hand over this control immediately.

This is where the “springing” power of attorney comes in. Springing POA means that the document, while executed immediately, does not become effective for use by the agent, until a certain condition is met. The document can be written that the POA becomes in effect, if the person is deemed mentally incompetent by a doctor. The springing clause gives the agent the power to act if and when it is necessary for someone else to take over the individual’s affairs.

Having an estate planning attorney create the power of attorney that is best suited for each individual’s situation is the most sensible way to provide the protection of a POA, without worrying about giving up control while one is competent.

Reference: The News-Enterprise (Feb. 24, 2020) “Power of attorney can be tailored to circumstances”