As POA for my mother-in-law, she is in a nursing home, will I be responsible for her funeral when she passes? I am on SS and it is the only income I have. I live in Indiana, she has a son in Nevada who has nothing to do with her. I am all she has here in Indiana.
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You are not responsible for her bills. POA means you can make decisions for her when she is not capable of making them herself.
A POA does not cover responsibilities for any funeral expenses; it usually addresses only medical and financial issues. You are not responsible for any funeral expenses unless you decide to pay for part or all of a funeral, etc.
There are several different types of POA and it should tell you on the form what kind it is. For someone in the nursing home, there are 2 basic ones. One is the POA to make medical decisions only, should she not be able to. The second it to make financial type of decisions, or to act on her behalf. It is the most common. You are not responsible to pay the bills from your own personal funds, but you are responsible to pay them on her behalf from her account, or to call and inquire on her accounts. You can also do things such as change her insurance, order a phone to be connected or disconnected in her name, sell her car, rent her home....
many people misunderstand exactly what a holder of a POA's responsibilities really consist of. There are several types of POA so it is most important to understand what type you have.
Important item: responsibilities of holders of a POA end at the death of the individual.
In your case - this would mean that someone else (not your responsibility) would need to be in charge of EVERYTHING when your mother-in-law dies.
Here are a couple of sites that may help you understand a little more about a POA:
www.elderlawanswers.com/
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