---
title: HB 1475. Commerce and trade; benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service; provisions
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1475
cite_as: HB 1475, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1475
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1475.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1475/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73753
date: 2026-03-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 199
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1475.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1475
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-26
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
- Rob Leverett
- Kasey Carpenter
- Johnny Chastain
- John LaHood
- Stacey Evans
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1475/2025
upstream_id: 2125977
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- public benefits
- power of attorney
- Medicaid applications
- health care agents
- estate administration
---
# HB 1475. Commerce and trade; benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service; provisions
## Text
The House Committee on Judiciary offers the following substitute to HB 1475:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Sections 10-6B-53, 31-32-7, and 50-13-13 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service,
duties and responsibilities of health care agents, and opportunity for hearing in contested
cases, notice, counsel, subpoenas, record, enforcement powers, and revenue cases,
respectively, so as to provide limited authority to serve as an authorized representative for
the purposes of completing an application for public benefits on behalf of a deceased
individual and attending any hearing thereon or litigating any appeal related thereto; to
provide for the termination of such authority; to provide for related matters; to provide an
effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 10-6B-53 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to benefits from
governmental programs or civil or military service, is amended by adding a new subsection
to read as follows:
"(c)(1) Notwithstanding any provision of Code Section 10-6B-10 or any other law to the
contrary, a valid power of attorney that grants general authority with respect to the
principal's entitlement to or claim for benefits from governmental programs or civil or
military service shall not terminate when the principal dies, but shall continue after the
principal's death for the exclusive and limited purpose of authorizing the agent to serve
as an authorized representative, to the extent one was not previously appointed, for the
purposes of completing an application for public benefits on behalf of a principal and
attending any hearing thereon or litigating any appeal related thereto; provided, however,
that such authority shall terminate immediately upon the earlier of the appointment of
such authorized representative by any individual or entity authorized to make such
appointment or the appointment of an administrator or personal representative for the
principal's estate by a court of competent jurisdiction."
SECTION 2.
Code Section 31-32-7 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to duties and
responsibilities of health care agents, is amended by adding a new paragraph to
subsection (e) to read as follows:
"(3.1) The individual who is a declarant's health care agent at the time of such declarant's
death shall be authorized to serve as an authorized representative, to the extent one was
not previously appointed, for the purposes of completing an application for public
benefits on behalf of the declarant and attending any hearing thereon or litigating any
appeal related thereto; provided, however, that such authority shall terminate immediately
upon the earlier of the appointment of such authorized representative by any individual
or entity authorized to make such appointment or the appointment of an administrator or
personal representative for the declarant's estate by a court of competent jurisdiction."
SECTION 3.
Code Section 50-13-13 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to opportunity
for hearing in contested cases, notice, counsel, subpoenas, record, enforcement powers, and
revenue cases, is amended by adding a new subsection to read as follows:
"(b.1) The authority of a general power of attorney provided for in Chapter 6B of
Title 10, a healthcare agent provided for in Chapter 32 of Title 31, a conservator or
guardian provided for in Title 29, or an authorized representative for the purposes of
completing an application for public benefits, shall continue after the death of the
principal to serve as an authorized representative for the purposes of completing an
application for public benefits on behalf of such principal and attending any hearing
thereon or litigating any appeal related thereto; provided, however, that such authority
shall terminate immediately upon the earlier of the appointment of such authorized
representative by any individual or entity authorized to make such appointment or the
appointment of an administrator or personal representative for the declarant's estate by
a court of competent jurisdiction."
SECTION 4.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026.
SECTION 5.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would let a power of attorney agent, health care agent, or guardian keep limited authority after someone dies to finish that person's application for public benefits like Medicaid and handle any related hearing or appeal.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, a power of attorney or health care agent's authority to act for someone generally ends when that person dies, which can leave a pending application for public benefits (such as Medicaid) stuck with no one authorized to finish it, attend hearings, or appeal a denial. This bill changes that for a narrow purpose.
It amends three sections of Georgia law so that a power of attorney agent (O.C.G.A. § 10-6B-53), a health care agent (O.C.G.A. § 31-32-7), and the rules for state administrative hearings (O.C.G.A. § 50-13-13) all allow the agent, guardian, or existing authorized representative to keep acting after death solely to complete a public benefits application and handle any hearing or appeal tied to it. That authority ends immediately once a court or authorized entity names a formal authorized representative, or a court appoints an administrator or personal representative for the deceased person's estate. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026.
### What it does
- Lets a power of attorney agent's authority survive the principal's death, but only to finish a pending public benefits application and pursue related hearings or appeals.
- Gives a person's health care agent at the time of death the same limited authority to complete a public benefits application and handle hearings or appeals on it.
- Extends similar continuing authority to conservators, guardians, and existing authorized representatives in state administrative hearing proceedings under O.C.G.A. § 50-13-13.
- Automatically ends this post-death authority once a court or authorized entity appoints a formal authorized representative or an estate administrator or personal representative.
- Sets an effective date of July 1, 2026 for all three changes and repeals any conflicting laws.
### Who it affects
People who die while a public benefits application (such as Medicaid) is pending, their families, power of attorney agents, health care agents named in advance directives, conservators and guardians, and the state agencies and administrative hearing officers who process public benefits applications and appeals.
### Why it matters
Without this change, a pending public benefits application can stall or be dismissed when the applicant dies because no one has legal authority to keep pursuing it. The bill lets a trusted agent or guardian finish that specific process, which can affect whether an estate recovers benefits owed or resolves a denial through appeal.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new subsection (c) to O.C.G.A. § 10-6B-53 letting a general power of attorney survive death solely to complete a public benefits application and handle related hearings or appeals.
- Section 2 adds paragraph (3.1) to O.C.G.A. § 31-32-7 giving a declarant's health care agent the same limited post-death authority for public benefits matters.
- Section 3 adds subsection (b.1) to O.C.G.A. § 50-13-13 extending this continuing authority to conservators, guardians under Title 29, and existing authorized representatives in contested administrative hearings.
- All three provisions terminate the continuing authority immediately once a formal authorized representative, administrator, or personal representative is appointed.
- Section 4 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.
- Section 5 repeals any state laws that conflict with these changes.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-26)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-03-04)
- Sponsors: Rob Leverett, Kasey Carpenter, Johnny Chastain, John LaHood, Stacey Evans
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73753
> The history, votes, and amendments (199 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1475.md?full=1