To complete an Enrollment Application on behalf of a consumer, what authority must the individual have?

• A. The individual must be legally authorized under applicable state law to act on behalf of the consumer (e.g., Power of Attorney).
• B. The individual must be a licensed attorney.
• C. The individual must be a family member.
• D. The individual must be the consumer themselves.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that someone acting on another person’s behalf must have formal authority to represent them under state law. This is typically established through documents like a Power of Attorney or another legally recognized designation that explicitly grants the agent the power to handle enrollment matters. That authority is what allows the agent to sign the enrollment form, request and receive the consumer’s information, and make decisions within the agreed scope. It ensures the agent is acting with the consumer’s consent and within legal privacy and regulatory rules. A licensed attorney isn’t required, and a family member isn’t automatically necessary—the critical point is the legal authorization to act for the consumer. The consumer themselves could complete the enrollment, but when someone else does it, they must have that formal authority to act on the consumer’s behalf.