a power of attorney is a legal document that allows an individual (known as the principal) to grant authority to another person to act on their behalf. in a power of attorney document, the only authority granted is what is described in the document. power of attorney is a legal tool that can be used in situations when an individual is incapacitated, and is unable to make decisions for themselves. this allows the veteran to ultimately present the best possible claim to the va. there are several different types of power of attorney that can be used for different situations. specific power of attorney can be granted for the process of filing va benefits; this ensures that a lawyer can only make decisions on a veteran’s behalf regarding their disability claim with the va. with a power of attorney for va purposes, a lawyer is only allowed to file va documents and communicate with the va on the veteran’s behalf.

this will be the signature party who will appoint the authority defined in this paperwork to another entity. this will be basic information used to identify the principal as such. the principal’s authority to manage property will be conferred to the attorney-in-fact with the principal act of initialing the blank space in the margin of paragraph four (“management powers”).

“power of attorney” means a writing or other record that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal, whether or not the term power of attorney is used (va code § 64.2-1600). the next area that must be tended to in this document needs the principal to approve the way the attorney-in-fact will receive the authority the principal wishes designated.