Justice in a personal injury claim is not just about short-term medical bills—it’s about ensuring an injured person can afford the care, support, and resources they will need for the rest of their life. In serious injury cases, a Life Care Plan is one of the most powerful tools used to calculate long-term financial losses. Whether you are working with an Austin personal injury attorney or preparing for litigation involving catastrophic injuries, a well-documented Life Care Plan can significantly impact the value and outcome of a claim.
Life Care Plans are especially critical in cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other permanent conditions where future medical needs are substantial and ongoing.
What Is a Life Care Plan?
A Life Care Plan is a document that details the long-term needs of an individual with a catastrophic injury, permanent injury or disability. Severe injuries can have an enormous impact on a variety of aspects of the victim’s life. A Life Care Plan addresses many of these needs: primarily, health care, necessary support, lost wages, earning capacity and the costs associated with the injury.
The purpose of a Life Care Plan is to create a breakdown of every foreseeable expense connected to a victim’s serious or catastrophic injuries. This can allow the injured victim and his or her family to accurately plan for the future – ensuring the patient gets the necessary care and support he or she needs.
In a legal context, a Life Care Plan is often used during a personal injury claim to project the medical and financial needs of the plaintiff (filing party). This can help an insurance company or jury assign a fair amount in financial compensation to award a victim for what may be a lifetime of related costs.
What Are the Elements of a Life Care Plan?
Life with a catastrophic injury may come with a whole new routine for the victim. A personal injury Life Care Plan can provide a roadmap for what this life will look like as the individual heads into treatments, recovery and the future as a whole.
A typical Life Care Plan may include:
- Medical expenses
- Visits with doctors and specialists
- Any necessary surgeries or procedures
- Therapies and rehabilitation
- Prescription medications
- Medical and mobility devices
- Health care equipment
- Long-term or live-in nursing care
- Disability accommodations
- Home and vehicle modifications
- Travel or transportation costs
- Daily living expenses
- Vocational and educational services
- Mental health and psychiatric care
A Life Care Plan will draft an outline for the victim’s recovery, alongside estimates of costs. It will also take into account issues such as inflation to calculate future costs and losses accurately. These plans are highly specific and personalized to each claimant, taking into account age, condition, projected life expectancy and future advancements in treatment technologies.
How Do I Get a Life Care Plan?
Creating a Life Care Plan is an arduous task that takes professional knowledge and training. It is not something you should attempt on your own, as you may be at risk of missing critical expenses or overlooking certain needs. Certified Life Care Planners (CLCP) are typically called upon to create these documents and – when requested – testify about an individual’s future needs and costs in court as hired expert witnesses.
A CLCP is an individual (typically a nurse or another health care professional) who has earned accreditation as an official Life Care Planner through the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board. This is a prestigious certification that comes with stringent educational and professional qualifications and training. You can often hire a CLCP through a Texas personal injury attorney.
Once you find an appropriate CLCP, he or she will work closely with your legal team and medical team to understand your needs. The planner will engage in personal interviews and medical assessments to determine your short-term and long-term care needs. Many CLCPs also provide expert testimony during personal injury cases to support the validity and accuracy of the Life Care Plan.
How to Get Fair Financial Compensation to Fund Your Life Care Plan
When injuries are long-lasting or permanently disabling, calculating a fair settlement or judgment award is critical for the financial future of the victim and his or her family. A cohesive and comprehensive Life Care Plan can establish the realistic costs of living with the injury, both right now and over time.
A Life Care Plan can help you and your family understand what to expect if you’ve been diagnosed with a life-changing injury. It can be used as strong evidence during your personal injury claim against one or more parties for causing your injury. An insurance company or the courts can review your medical records alongside the Life Care Plan and listen to the testimony of the CLCP and other medical experts to understand how the injury will impact your life.
You can give yourself the best possible opportunity to maximize financial compensation for a catastrophic injury by working with the right professionals. This includes an experienced Certified Life Care Planner as well as a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. Look for a lawyer with years of experience specifically handling catastrophic injury claims for the greatest peace of mind during this difficult time.
Do I Need an Attorney?
In the face of a catastrophic injury, it can be difficult to achieve a fair settlement offer from an insurance company. Life-changing injuries often lead to high-value cases and pushback from insurance claims adjusters.
A strong, accurate and comprehensive Life Care Plan can be invaluable when it comes to proving the catastrophic nature of your injury and the amount of financial compensation that will be necessary to meet your long-term needs.
However, the Life Care Plan is not enough on its own. Fair compensation is not just about dollars and cents. It’s about the effects the injury will have on your daily life, quality of living, independence and enjoyment of the rest of your life. That’s why it’s important to work with a skilled attorney to demand justice.
The Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Texas
An experienced personal injury attorney can hire Certified Life Care Planners, medical experts and other specialists to craft a detailed Life Care Plan for your case. Your attorney can then use this document to seek a fair amount in financial compensation for your immediate and future needs – in and out of the courtroom.
Most importantly, a lawyer can build a compelling narrative around your Life Care Plan and other critical evidence to convince a judge or jury of your losses and improve the outcome of your case. Discuss your particular catastrophic injury with a skilled attorney in Austin today. Contact FVF Law Firm for a cost-free, zero-pressure consultation about your situation.
