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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are legal affairs that I should consider before deployment? Legal affairs encompass important issues and decisions for family members such as estate planning, including wills, medical planning, property and financial affairs, and the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act. Once a service member prepares to deploy or leave for training, legal affairs are a top priority. These issues are the ones family members understandably hesitate to think about, but they are extremely important considerations for your family and you. Things to take care of:
What is a Power of Attorney?
A Power of Attorney (POA) is a written instrument that allows you (the “principal”) to authorize your agent (your “attorney-in-fact”) to conduct certain business on your behalf. It is one of the strongest legal documents that you can give to another person. There are two types of POA; “general” and “special” (or limited). A general POA gives your agent very broad powers to act on your behalf; and a special POA limits your agent’s authority to act only on certain matters. Every act performed by your agent within the authority of the POA is legally binding upon you. Since a POA is such a powerful document, give it only to a trustworthy person, and only when absolutely necessary. Your local legal assistance office can advise you about, and prepare for you, the appropriate type of POA needed for your situation. For example, a soldier’s spouse may use the soldier’s power of attorney to–
You may hear that you need a “general” power of attorney so that someone else can take care of all your affairs if you are absent. This is probably not true. In fact, it is highly unlikely that you will ever need a general power of attorney. |