What Is a Life Care Plan, and Why Does It Matter?
In a catastrophic injury case, one document often matters more than any other: the life care plan. If your family is facing a lifelong injury, it is worth understanding what it is and why it is so central.
A roadmap of a lifetime of needs
A life care plan is a detailed, expert-prepared roadmap of everything your loved one will need for the rest of their life — future surgeries, therapy, medications, attendant care, equipment and its replacement, home and vehicle modifications — laid out year by year, with costs.
It turns the future into a number
Because the biggest losses in a catastrophic case are future needs, the life care plan translates the medical reality into concrete, documented costs. Paired with an economist who reduces those costs to present value, it turns 'a lifetime of care' into a defensible figure.
Who prepares it and who pays
A qualified life-care-planning expert prepares it from the medical evidence. In a contingency case, the firm engages and advances the cost of these experts, so your family is not paying out of pocket to build the case.
Why it protects your family
Without a life care plan, the future needs can be undervalued or ignored — which is exactly what an insurer hopes for. The plan is what ensures the recovery reflects the true, lifelong cost of the injury.
Frequently asked questions
Do we have to pay for the life care planner?
In a contingency arrangement, the firm generally advances the cost of the life-care planner and other experts, so your family is not paying out of pocket to document the future.
Keep reading
This article is general information about Catastrophic Injury injury law, not legal advice. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your situation.
The law depends on your state
The steps above apply wherever you were hurt. Filing deadlines, fault rules, and limits on damages differ by state — pick yours for what applies to catastrophic injury.
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