Do I need a Power of Attorney

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Permalink Reply by Melissa (Tucson) on November 10, 2009 at 12:47am

Here's a few questions that might help you decide if you need this. Who is going to pay your son's bills while he's in boot camp? Does he own a vehicle that may need registration or insurance? If something (God forbid) where to happen to your son, say he was hospitalized for 3 or 4 months, would you be able to take care of his financial concerns?

Once your son finishes boot camp and A school and gets orders for his first duty station, I would highly recommend a power of attorney. Might as well do it now while you have him home. You can download one off the internet (see if you can find one for your state). Or you can ask an attorney to draw one up.

My son was stationed on a destroyer and deployed to the Gulf. He received a jury summons that I was able to dismiss because of the POA. And I was able to transfer my old car into his name thanks to the POA. It has come in handy.

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Permalink Reply by Connie J on November 10, 2009 at 1:17am

My son left for GL 7/28/09, graduated BC 9/18/09 and now is over at school side and I still consider myself new at this. There are so many people on this website and other groups that are so knowledgeable and helpful. Just ask and you will receive. We did not get power of attorney before our son left but we probably will when he comes home for the Christmas holidays. If you have it you can take care of any bills, business, licenses, banking, etc and that could come in handy should something arise unforseen. I wish you and your son the best of luck. If I can answer any of your questions I will certainly try and if I can't I can get you to the right person or group (to the best of my knowledge. Have a great night.

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Permalink Reply by Angie F.- WA: HM mom on November 11, 2009 at 9:48pm

Hi Grasshopper, If you go to the main DEPPER page, (Read there, then go join the BC Moms Group) there is a discussion on this topic and much more about what to do/know before they leave. My husband and I went with our son to his bank right before he left. He had school loans which he deferred, but he had to have me make one large payment while he was away for 6 months. He also had a car loan which he set up automatic payments for, BUT something got messed up in the paperwork so I had to go and make the first months payment in person (just after he left for BC, so I couldn't contact him) so that he wouldn't be charged any penalties or get behind/default.

He left rather suddenly for BC. We had one weeks noticed of a changed ship out date! We moved him quickly out of a duplex he'd shared with a friend. The final utilities bill came due while he was away as well. All three of these things could have been big headaches and stressors, but I was able to easily take care of them and then write to him and tell him what had transpired. He has kept us there and we've been able to w/d or transfer $$ when his portion of the family cell plan or car insurance is due, without bothering him except to give him a reminder for the sake of his bookkeeping. When he heads out for more training and deployment, will continue the POA. There are any number of unanticipated situations that could crop up, so I say get it, for everyones peace of mind. Just my two cents. =) Fair Winds and God's Blessing upon your Recruit! Hang in there. You'll find much support, answers and good info here onsite!

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Permalink Reply by Brandonw409 on November 16, 2009 at 12:47am

Well I am sure a lot of moms are going to want to kill me for this comment! This won't apply to everyone but if your a high school kid going into the Navy, how many responsibilities could you possibly have that require a power of attorney? Do you own a home or a business? Do you have a child and your significant other can't be trusted? If not then I don't see any reason to waste the money to get one. Most billing accounts like cell phone companies, car note companies and even banks can just add you to the account and give you full access to do anything you need. I just think that leaving and going to bootcamp is the first step of getting out on your own and having this power of attorney because you are going to be un-reachable for 8-9 weeks is just one more thing that keeps you holding on. Now like I said, it doesn't apply to everone. If you are about to go on a deployment or if you are single with children then I highly recommend getting one! But these high school kids need to learn to take care of there affairs before they go so there is no need for a power of attorney. It will only help them because no one in the Navy is going to do it for them and you shouldn't either!
Please don't hate me!

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Permalink Reply by Angie F.- WA: HM mom on November 16, 2009 at 1:28am

LOL Brandon, we couldn't hate you. You are too helpful and such a nice guy. :) However, we are on the other side of the fence on this one I'm afraid. You're right, it doesn't apply to everyone. My son spent two years living on his own, taking care of his bills and affairs. He has since BC and will continue to do so. He's far from a wet behind the ears naive high school kid! His credit is spotless and impressive for one his age (think he has a better score than we do!) We wanted to do what we could to make sure it stayed that way, so there would not be any obstacles to his obtaining security clearances later. This was simply a case of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm a just in case, be prepared, kinda gal. You should see how I pack for a camping trip! (I would have made a great Boy Scout! LOL) Btw: his bank advised us to do it and it was free. First thing the credit union (the one his car loan was through) asked when I called about the late payment notice was "Do you have Power of Attorney?"

This whole military way of things is new to many of us when our "kids" enlist. When you don't understand and know about how it all works, you don't really know what to anticipate and prepare for. I agree that some Moms are not ready to "let go" and launch their Recruits and the Recruits are not always well prepared to handle life. BC is a BIG time of growing up and taking responsibility, that's a good thing. This topic though is not so much about not cutting the apron strings, as it is having the peace of mind of knowing that should any unexpected hassles crop up, they can be easily dealt with. Like Melissa said, it could come in handy. :) Being a parent of a Sailor serving during a time of war is stressful enough, why add to it?! Tell you what, when you send your firstborn off into the military, you let me know if your opinion changes. =)

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Permalink Reply by Melissa (Tucson) on November 16, 2009 at 3:19am

You should have stopped after writing the first sentence....lol. Yep, I'm way over on the other side of the fence on this one too. Allow me to educate you about the legal issues surrounding a power of attorney. (I have 15 years experience with Arizona Superior Court)
My son was 25 when he enlisted. I spoke yesterday at our (Southern AZ stations) 'Annual DEP Families Potluck', which is sponsored by NRD-Phx. Yep, our XO, Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, a City councilman, our Zone Supervisor, along with 26 recruiters, 110 DEPPERS and 200+ families members. I addressed the group and tried to speak with as many individual families as possible. So many of the DEPPERS are older and/or married. I'm not sure where you're recruiting at but I have to wonder if you're not seeing the same thing.
I have one question: how old are you? (Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you, ask Angie, she'll tell how harmless I am).

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Permalink Reply by Angie F.- WA: HM mom on November 16, 2009 at 11:19am

Hee Hee, now Melissa, you know I almost never stop at ONE sentence!! ROTFL He did say this: IF you are about to go on a deployment or if you are single with children then I highly recommend getting one! I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he probably implied older and/or married as well. Hey Brandon, just to be clear, I still like you. I respect an honest Recruiter. :-)

Now as far as our Ms. Melissa, don't let all that charm and sweet smile fool you, beneath that great granny, "frail" exterior lies the heart of a warrior and a bulldog for our Sailors and their families. Harmless, I'll vouch, but she's a one woman who knows her stuff, and as you can see, the people who can make good stuff happen. (VERY COOL M-you go girl!) She's one of the Navy moms I admire most. One of the things I enjoy about N4Ms is benefiting from the seasoned experiences of those with different backgrounds, skill sets and knowledge bases than mine, Recruiters and Moms/loved ones alike. We all learn from one another here, discover how things roll all across the country and sometimes gain new perspectives...plus some great new friends along the way too! =)

Grasshopper, I do hope all this has been helpful to you. Has you son left yet? How are YOU doing with it all?

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Permalink Reply by Grasshopper on November 19, 2009 at 9:34pm

My son left yesterday, 11/18. Rough day today but I know it will get better. Letting go of my youngest of three boys is like losing a part of myself. I know there are many Moms out there that understand!

I appreciate all the help from you, Melissa and Brandon. We actually fall into the category that Brandon mentioned. Philip is 18 with no bills as of yet. No car payments or other things in his name. His checking and savings account are joint with my name. Therefore we chose not to get a POA at this time. I do see where older guys/gals with more responsiblites should get one. I think all of you have great reasons for your answers and it sounds like each recruit needs to look at their personal situation.

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Permalink Reply by Brandonw409 on November 16, 2009 at 11:55am

See, I should have known better! J/k...you ladies are great! Its good to know these sailors have such great support. I didn't really have that same support so I was on my own and forced to grow up and take care of everything! Luckly the Navy has legal advisors and financial advisers available if you need them. But it is really important to get a POA if you deem it necessary. And I wanted to let you know that I don't recruit a lot of older or married folks. The national average is 17-23 year old single people. And I recruit mostly high school seniors because that's when I joined and I feel I can relate to them. Plus, it's so hard to get jobs right now that seniors in high school are just about the only ones that can get in! Well it's been fun! I'll move on to the next topic and stay away from this one! Lol!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa (Tucson) on November 19, 2009 at 9:38pm

Well, I guess we're done with POA's (for now). Let's talk about passports. Brandon???

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Permalink Reply by Brandonw409 on November 20, 2009 at 9:42am

What about them?

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Permalink Reply by Melissa (Tucson) on November 20, 2009 at 4:16pm

Do sailors need them?

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