A Life Care Planner Can Help You Determine the Value of Your Case

A serious injury due to an accident can impact the victim long after the accident is over. Unfortunately, in some cases, the injuries can lead to lifelong pain and physical limitations, resulting in significant medical bills for the victim and their family. The situation may be worsened if your client cannot return to their job, causing further economic damage.

However, establishing the total amount they need to recover and live their life as fully as possible can be challenging. That is why the testimony of a life care planner can be invaluable to your case.

What is a Life Care Planner?

A life care planner is an expert in assessing the needs of a person who has suffered a severe injury or other medical condition that requires long-term treatment. Rather than focusing on the patient’s immediate medical care, a life care planner develops a plan to address the victim’s needs throughout their lives. 

A knowledgeable life care planner can assist by placing a value on the total cost of the victim’s injuries, including:

1. Medication

2. Diagnostic Testing

3. Surgeries

4. Physical Therapy

5. Inpatient or Outpatient Rehabilitation

6. Homecare

7. Wheelchairs and other Assistive Devices

8. Loss of Income

A life care planner can also act as a liaison between the injured party’s lawyers and medical providers, communicating with both to help determine the total costs required for the victim to heal as fully as possible.

The Life Care Planner’s Role in a Personal Injury Lawsuit

The aftermath of a serious accident can be devastating for the injured person as they seek to recover and resume living their life. They may struggle with any number of debilitating conditions, including the ability to walk, communicate, or live independently. If the insurance company disputes the impact of the victim’s injuries on their day-to-day functioning and quality of life, their recovery may be further challenged. 

In cases where an injured person will need treatment throughout their lifetime, the healthcare expenses could be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. As an expert for personal injury, a life care planner may be called to testify and educate the insurance adjuster, judge, or jury on the victim’s specific emotional and physical medical needs and the potential costs to treat them.

Experienced life care planners are also skilled at testifying in court and can persuasively present the accident victim’s to a judge or jury. The life care planners at OAS have participated in many trials and are fully aware of what should and should not be included in a life care plan. Life care planners investigate to determine the value of the case when a victim has suffered a devastating injury or medical condition. These experts work with the personal injury victim to create a life care plan that has a solid legal foundation and can be admitted as evidence in court.

What is a Life Care Plan?

A life care plan is a comprehensive report of an injured person’s financial needs and expenses following an accident. The report details the injured party’s entire circumstances, including medical care and the costs of daily living. Because the report also considers the victim’s life expectancy, it is an effective planning tool for their future.

How Does a Life Care Planner Develop a Care Plan in a Personal Injury Case?

By reviewing medical records, interviewing the victim, and assessing their overall level of functioning, a skilled life care planner can compile the costs of future physical or vocational rehabilitation to maintain the injured party’s quality of life. For example, they can provide insight into necessary changes to the victim’s home and workplace to determine if they should be retrofitted with devices that enable them to work and live as independently as possible. The injured person’s vehicle may also need specialized equipment, such as a wheelchair lift or a steering wheel assistive device. An experienced life care planner will include these costs in the life care plan. 

These experts will often work closely with vocational rehabilitation experts to analyze the victim’s lost wages and reduced future earning capacity. A life care planner can offer proof that the injured plaintiff can no longer work in the same vocational field due to their injuries. As an expert for personal injury cases, the life care planner will include the vocational expert’s assessment in the total calculation of the injured person’s damages.