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What is a Life Care Plan?

March 31, 2023

A life care plan is a critical part of most personal injury cases – especially cases involving severe injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injuries. It is a plan that can help evaluate a victim’s losses after an accident, including long-term impacts on the victim’s life caused by the injury. Creating a complete and accurate life care plan can ensure that your financial needs are fairly addressed during a personal injury claim. You may need an experienced Denver personal injury attorney to assist you with your life care plan.

What is a Life Care Plan?

What Should a Life Care Plan Include?

A life care plan is a detailed breakdown of your financial needs and expenses as a personal injury accident victim. It is a comprehensive report that looks at the full picture of your injury, including your medical costs, required care, the costs of daily living, transportation, ability to work and expenses for the foreseeable future. It also looks at the details, breaking down everything you might need from now until you reach the point of maximum medical improvement.

A life care plan should include the following:

  • Long-term expenses
  • Medical expenses
  • Nursing or live-in care
  • Disability accommodations
  • Home or vehicle modifications
  • Visits with specialists
  • Travel or transportation costs
  • Medications or medical supplies
  • Living expenses, including housing and clothing
  • Personal care expenses
  • Lost wages and capacity to earn
  • The projected life expectancy of the victim

A life care plan is based on research and analysis by experts. It is an accurate calculation of a victim’s circumstances based on projected future needs, life expectancy and other factors. The person or group of people who create a life care plan must carefully review the victim’s unique situation, injury and medical needs for the rest of his or her life to draw up an accurate report.

Who Needs a Life Care Plan?

An individual needs a life care plan after an accident that causes anything other than mild injuries if he or she is bringing a personal injury claim. However, they are most common in severe, long-term or permanent injury cases. A life care plan is an important tool for mapping out the victim’s future. It is a key part of accurately evaluating how much a victim’s personal injury case is worth in Colorado.

Two of the most common injuries that require life care plans are brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. Victims with these catastrophic types of injuries may be physically and/or mentally incapable of caring for themselves. They may depend on others for their care for the rest of their lives. These plaintiffs may also require years of future medical treatments. This makes them extremely expensive injuries that need to be accurately evaluated with a life care plan. Without a solid life care plan, the victim may settle for less than he or she deserves from an insurance company.

Know the Value of Your Catastrophic Injury Case

Creating an accurate life care plan can be challenging. A personal injury victim’s circumstances must be carefully analyzed, assessed and accounted for, now and in the future. You may need an attorney to help you with your life care plan, as well as using this plan to negotiate for fair financial compensation during insurance settlement negotiations. You or your lawyer can admit your life care plan as evidence in court to help you demand a fair financial resolution.

The life care plan can map out what you are reasonably expected to spend and/or lose because of your injury. This can enable you to argue for a fair and just amount using your life care plan as evidence. It will prove how much your case is worth and support your argument that you need more than what the insurer has initially offered. Having this plan can put you in a stronger position to negotiate and improve your chances of reaching a just settlement. If a settlement cannot be achieved, the life care plan can be used as evidence during a personal injury trial.

For more information about creating and using a life care plan as an injured accident victim, contact us for a free consultation with an attorney.