One of the biggest worries that parents of special needs children have is, “Who will take care of them if something happens to me?” No one wants to leave their children to the care of the state of Florida. With budget cuts and constantly changing laws, there would simply be no way to ensure that the child would receive the care that the parent would give. Many parents face a future of dread, worried about their children and what the future might hold. In most cases, granting power of attorney can help alleviate that worry.
There are many steps to take in order to procure a good future for a special needs child. The first step, of course, is to prepare a will. This is the foundation for the future of the child. The will documents exactly how a person wants their possessions distributed. If a person does not have a will, these decisions may be left up to the state.
Granting power of attorney would be the next logical step for anyone with a special needs child. The power of attorney is given to someone that the parent trusts to care for the child, including his or her financial well-being, in the event of the parents’ death or incapacitation. This choice should not be made lightly, since this person has all of the legal rights of the parent, both custodially and financially.
Granting power of attorney to a trusted person can help take a lot of pressure off of a parent. Most parents look forward to watching their child grow up, wondering what they will be, who they will marry, what kind of financial status they will have, etc. But in every state, there are parents who have children with special needs. For many residents of Florida, planning for the future of a special needs child seems an unclimbable mountain. With the help of a knowledgeable family planning lawyer, these mountains can be made into simple, rolling hills.
Source: hamlethub.com, “Providing a Secure Future for a Child with Special Needs”, Alisa Gaudiosi, March 14, 2017