IMRF accepts Durable Powers of Attorney for property only, a Power of Attorney for health care has nothing to do with any matters regarding your IMRF account.

IMRF will accept agency designation under a durable power of attorney if it conforms with the requirements of the Illinois Power of Attorney Act. A copy of the entire designation must be submitted for our review. If the original designation is more than a year old, we will send the agent an affidavit that he or she must complete, sign, have notarized, and then return to our office in order for the power of attorney to be accepted.

A power of attorney also may limit the period of time for which it will be effective. The Illinois Power of Attorney Act allows the creation of a "Durable Power of Attorney." A power of attorney drafted under this act will continue in effect despite the grantor becoming incompetent or despite the appointment of a guardian.

A power of attorney not drawn in the form prescribed by the Illinois Power of Attorney Act will be subject to automatic revocation and invalidation if and when the person granting the power is legally determined to be a disabled person.

Please note that IMRF will allow a designated agent to act for the grantor in all aspects excluding the ability to change and sign a beneficiary form. An IMRF retiree is the only person who may sign and/or change an IMRF Designation of Beneficiary Form (Form 6.11A). Any other representative acting on the retiree’s behalf, including an agent under a POA, may not change or sign this form. A Form 6.11A signed by anyone other than the retiree is invalid and will not be accepted.

Therefore, it is important for you to make sure your Designation of Beneficiary form is up to date. If you can’t remember who your beneficiary is, we recommend that you fill out and submit a new Form 6.11A.

Some tips on submitting power of attorney to IMRF

There are a few reasons why a power of attorney will not be accepted by IMRF upon receipt. Taking the following steps can help expedite the processing of a power of attorney designation by IMRF:

• Make sure the power of attorney you send us is for property and not health care.



• Some documents will state that the power of attorney will not be valid unless it is accompanied by written physician's statement stating that the member is not competent to make his/her own decisions.
  
  Please be aware if this is a contingency of your document before you send it to IMRF, and include the physician's statement with your submission.
  
  If we receive a power of attorney that requires a physician's statement, and the physician's statement is not attached, we will request the written statement from the agent before accepting the power of attorney.
  
  The information can be added to the computer system without delay if all required documentation is received at one time.



• If it is not already there, write the agent's current address and the member's Social Security number somewhere on the document. Sometimes there is more than one member with the same name in our computer system and having the Social Security number on the document is very helpful.

For more information about designating power of attorney, consult a lawyer or take a look at the Illinois Power of Attorney Act at the state of Illinois website.

For a standardized Power of Attorney form from the state of Illinois, click here