My mom is living in a nursing home after a recent surgery with complications. I have her mailing address as mine (not just forwarding, but changed her address.) She still has a vacant home in a nearby town. I am POA and have been taking care of her bills. Once in a while I need to write a check. Her checks have her old address on there. Should I order new ones with my address, her nursing home address, or just leave them as they are?
I'll probably just continue to use her checks as they are and cross out the address and put mine. All her bills are done online and, ironically, the only check I write is for her nursing home bill. I think they know where to find her :)
I remember way back when one had their home address, their telephone number, and their social security number.
When it came time for me to handle my Dad's bills, Dad and I went to the bank where Dad asked the bank that I be a co-signed on his checks. Thus the new checks read "J. Benny or C. Benny Kadiddlehopper".
All of my Dad's mail was forward to me, and I did change of address to the important items. No mail to the senior facility as Dad thought every piece of mail was "junk mail" including bills :P
Her other POA is still using her old address, but only writes one check/month.
No trouble either way, yet, but I think using her old address is wrong.
Initially I only changed the mailing address for mom's checks, but I had to stop statements going to her and avoid her getting into all other banking (to mess it up!) So, the next round of new checks came with my PO box. As we planned to sell her condo, ALL addresses needed to be changed (fun stuff with federal mail, such as IRS, VA, SS, and pension - none accept POAs!)
FWIW - one of my own accounts is rarely used, so I have MANY checks left with my old address on them. Moved 6 years ago. IF I use those checks and IF I remember, I cross out the address and write in my PO Box and new town. No one cares unless the check bounces. Worst case, the entity the check is written to uses that address to sell her info to those data mines who make money selling addresses for {mostly} junk mail. Good, the junk won't come to you!
When I took over my mom's finances after I moved her into an ALF in 2015, she had quite a few checks left. I didn't want to waste them because I also knew I couldn't just throw them in the garbage and they would have to be shredded. So I used them up by crossing out the old address and using my address stamper beside it.
Once I used them up and it was time to reorder, I had my address imprinted on them since I get and pay all her bills. I never have anything go to her facility. I only give her facility address to her siblings and when filling out paperwork for mobile doctors otherwise, I've done what you've done - I filled out a "change of address" form through the USPS in order for me to receive all her mail. I've never had a problem. Same went for the separate checking account I had to set up for her Social Security checks to be used for her rent payments when I had to apply to become her Representative Payee. Those checks have her name and my address on them and then I sign as her custodian.
In my response, I said the pension and SS don't even cover half of her "rent", the trust funds cover the rest and anything else that needs to be paid (mostly supplies.) It's not like she's going on vaca someplace, or needs to buy a lot of stuff! She's 96 (at the time) with dementia, little to no hearing, soon to lose vision, in a wheelchair, where do they think she's going, New Zealand???
Doing payments MY way means I only have to account for trust fund usage to my brothers. They don't ask about it or mom, so they can stuff it!