POA

Abbreviation with 4 meanings

POA
Stands for	Power of attorney
Meanings	4
Categories	Law & Legal, Medical, Technology & Computing, Business & Finance
Also written	PoA

POA has four meanings. The most common are Power of attorney (estate and family law) and Present on admission (medical documentation); it can also stand for Proof of authority and Property owners association.

Meanings of POA at a glance

#	POA stands for	Context
1	Power of attorney	Law & Legal › Estate and Family Law
2	Present on admission	Medical › Medical Documentation
3	Proof of authority	Technology & Computing › Cryptocurrency & Blockchain
4	Property owners association	Business & Finance › Real Estate & Mortgage

1. Power of attorney

Law & Legal · Estate and Family Law Abbreviations

Legal document in which one person, the principal, authorizes another, the agent or attorney-in-fact, to act on the principal's behalf in financial, legal or business matters. It can be general or limited to specific acts, such as selling a house or managing one bank account.

Example: Dad signed a POA naming my sister as his agent so she can pay his bills while he is overseas.

Every power of attorney ends at the principal's death, when an executor or administrator takes over. Unless it is "durable", it also ends if the principal becomes incapacitated, which is why estate plans use durable POAs. A "springing" POA takes effect only on a triggering event such as certified incapacity. Many states have adopted the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (2006). The agent need not be a lawyer despite the title attorney-in-fact.

2. Present on admission

Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations

Indicator on US inpatient claims showing whether each diagnosis existed when the order for inpatient admission occurred. Conditions not present on admission may count as hospital-acquired.

Example: Stage 3 sacral pressure injury documented POA on ED skin assessment.

Medicare required POA reporting from October 2007 under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, so it would not pay extra for certain preventable hospital-acquired conditions. Indicator values include Y (yes), N (no), U (insufficient documentation) and W (clinically undetermined). In law POA means power of attorney.

3. Proof of authority (PoA)

Technology & Computing · Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Abbreviations

A consensus mechanism in which a small set of approved, publicly identified validators produce blocks, relying on their reputation rather than mining or staked coins. It suits private networks and test networks.

Example: The consortium chain runs on PoA, with each member bank operating one validator.

Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood proposed the term in 2017, and earlier Ethereum test networks such as Rinkeby and Goerli used it. It is fast and efficient but centralized, since validators must be trusted. In law, POA means power of attorney.

4. Property owners association

Business & Finance · Real Estate & Mortgage Abbreviations

Association similar to an HOA that manages shared facilities and rules in a community, often used for developments with vacant lots, rural acreage or resort and lake communities.

Example: The POA maintains the private roads and the boat launch.

Legally, POAs and HOAs often operate under the same state statutes. In law and personal finance, POA usually means power of attorney.

More estate and family law abbreviations

LPA – Lasting power of attorney
MSA – Marital settlement agreement
PFA – Protection from abuse order
PINS – Person in need of supervision
POD – Payable on death
PR – Personal representative
PSA – Property settlement agreement
QDOT – Qualified domestic trust

See all 50 estate and family law abbreviations →

POA