[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-276448-105":53,"doc-detail-276448-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","powers-of-attorney-and-your-child-with-special-needs-guide","Powers of Attorney and Your Child with Special Needs - Guide","","Explains how powers of attorney help parents support adult children with special needs when their authority as a parent ends at age 18. Describes powers of attorney as legal documents that specify who may make decisions and under what conditions, including rules about legal capacity and incapacity. Covers general concepts, healthcare and financial powers of attorney, and highlights agency-specific forms, such as those used for Social Security and Medicaid.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/powers-of-attorney-and-your-child-with-special-needs-guide/276448/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/powers-of-attorney-and-your-child-with-special-needs-guide/276448.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"8796093062539","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-09-15",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"Why do powers of attorney matter for a child with special needs after age 18?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"Because a parent’s legal authority as a parent ends when the child becomes a legal adult, an adult child with special needs may still need help making decisions. A power of attorney can authorize the parent to act if needed.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"What does a power of attorney document specify?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"It outlines the specific decisions the designated person can make for an adult with special needs and the conditions under which those decisions can be made.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Can an adult sign a power of attorney after becoming incapacitated?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"No. An adult must have legal capacity and must be able to understand the document and its effects in order to sign.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},276448,1791656416,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":60,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":76,"language":135,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":139,"read_time":9},8796093062539,"Powers of Attorney and Your Child with Special Needs  \nThis post was authored by SNA member Benji Rubin of Rubin Law, A Professional Corporation with o?ices in Chicago and Bu?alo Grove, Illinois. The firm specializes in legal and future planning for families of individuals with special needs including intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and/or mental illness.  \nPowers of attorney are critical when you have an older child with special needs. If you are the parent of a child with special needs, you likely have grown accustomed to making medical, educational, and legal decisions on behalf of your child as a minor. When your child turns 18 and becomes a legal adult, your legal authority ends as your child’s parent. However, when your adult child has special needs, they may still need significant assistance in making these types of decisions or may be unable to make them altogether. Whatever your family’s situation may be, a special needs attorney can assist you in determining whether powers of attorney are right for you and your family.  \nPowers of Attorney in General  \nPowers of attorney are legal documents that give a person the legal authority to makespecified decisions or take certain actions on behalf of another. A parent can use a power of attorney to help an adult child with special needs make important decisions if they need  \nassistance. However, there also may be a point at which an adult child with special needs becomes incapacitated. In that instance, a power of attorney allows the parent to make important decisions on the adult child’s behalf.  \nThe power of attorney document outlines the decisions the person designated in the document is authorized to make for an adult with special needs. The document also specifies under what conditions they may make those decisions. DiFerent types of powers of attorney exist. For example, the healthcare power of attorney deals with medical decisions.  \nSome agencies also have separate power of attorney forms to authorize others to make decisions related to benefits through those agencies. For instance, the Social Security Administration has its own power of attorney or Appointment of Representative form. Likewise, each state may have a separate power of attorney for dealing with their Medicaid oFice.  \nMost importantly, an adult with special needs must have the legal capacity to sign any power of attorney document. In other words, the adult must understand the power of attorney document and its eFects and be able to make decisions for themselves. An adult cannot sign a power of attorney after they already have become incapacitated and unable to make decisions on their behalf.  \nIn addition to understanding what a power of attorney is and how it works, the adult must understand what subject matters the document covers, that a power of attorney can be limited or broad and will remain in eFect until it is revoked or they become incapacitated. The adult also must understand that they can revoke a power of attorney at any time, so long as they have the capacity to do so.  \nHealthcare Power of Attorney  \nSigning a healthcare power of attorney allows adults with special needs to appoint their parents as agents to make certain healthcare and medical decisions. Some of these decisions might include:  \n• Whether the person should receive a certain type of medical care or treatment;  \n• Whether the person should be admitted to or discharged from the hospital;  \n• End-of-life decisions;  \n• Authorizations for autopsies or donations to medical research.  \nAdults with special needs can give their parents the legal authority to make medical decisions only in certain situations or to make all their medical decisions.  \nFinancial Powers of Attorney  \nA financial power of attorney is a document that an individual with special needs may use to designate someone to act on their behalf if they’re not able to manage their finances.  \nFor state-specific information on the","cbCainl9WYo2jfIo","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainl9WYo2jfIo","pdf",257430,"English","# Powers of Attorney and Your Child with Special Needs\n## Powers of Attorney in General\n## Healthcare Power of Attorney\n## Financial Powers of Attorney\n## Reproducing and Disclaimer","[{\"question\":\"Why do powers of attorney matter for a child with special needs after age 18?\",\"answer\":\"Because a parent’s legal authority as a parent ends when the child becomes a legal adult, an adult child with special needs may still need help making decisions. A power of attorney can authorize the parent to act if needed.\"},{\"question\":\"What does a power of attorney document specify?\",\"answer\":\"It outlines the specific decisions the designated person can make for an adult with special needs and the conditions under which those decisions can be made.\"},{\"question\":\"Can an adult sign a power of attorney after becoming incapacitated?\",\"answer\":\"No. An adult must have legal capacity and must be able to understand the document and its effects in order to sign.\"}]","Powers of Attorney and Your Child with Special Needs - Guide | PDF",1789493242]