Are there different kinds of POAs?
Yes. There are three different kinds in common use today; namely:
Durable Power of Attorney
Springing Power of Attorney
Regular Power of Attorney
Under common law, a power of attorney became effective as soon as it was signed by the principal, and it remained in effect until the principal revoked it or the principal became incompetent or died. Because a POA terminated upon the principal’s incompetency, it was virtually useless as a tool to manage the affairs of the principal during incompetency. For estate planning purposes, this is precisely when a power of attorney was needed most.
Today, a power of attorney that survives the incompetency of the principal is referred to as a "durable power of attorney." or "DPOA."   To constitute a DPOA, most states require that the document contain the following provision - or words of similar intent:
This power of attorney shall not be affected by the subsequent disability or incompetency of the principal, or lapse of time.
A "springing power of attorney" does not become effective as soon as it is signed by the principal. Instead, it becomes effective upon the happening of a specific future event, such as the incompetency of the principal. Many institutions have difficulty accepting a springing POA because it is often difficult to determine if the specific future event has actually occurred. Incompetency, for example, often occurs over a long period of time and it is difficult to determine when someone crosses over the line. For this reason, most professionals will provide in a springing POA that a physician must certify that the principal is incompetent in order for the POA to "spring" into effect.
A POA that is neither a "durable" nor a "springing" power of attorney is simply referred to as a power of attorney. However, some people do refer to it as a "non-durable power of attorney."