The Role of Life Care Plans in Catastrophic Injury Lawsuits in Georgia

A life care plan can help you recover damages for the catastrophic injury you sustained due to someone else’s negligence. It’s important to develop this plan with real data and information that supports your request for compensation.

By going over how a life care plan can help your catastrophic injury case, and speaking with an experienced Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyer today, you can start building your case.

What is a life care plan?

A life care plan is a medical document that clarifies the projected lifetime medical needs and associated costs of a catastrophic injury you sustained. Many life care plans contain the following information:

• The future therapy sessions and rehabilitation services you will require, as well as their projected costs.
• The non-medical costs that your catastrophic injury will likely lead to such as home modifications or transportation costs.
• The long-term care you may need and the costs of this long-term care.
• The medications you may require and the costs of those medications.
• The medical/assistive devices you may need to purchase, due to the catastrophic injury.
• The future medical treatments you will need and the costs associated with these treatments.
• The amount of money/income you may lose in the long-term due to the catastrophic injury you sustained.

Your life care plan should detail just how seriously a particular injury will affect your financial future in all aspects of your future care.

Who creates a life care plan?

A life care plan is often created by a certified life care planner or another qualified medical or rehabilitation expert. This is because certified life care planners have the experience, skills, and expertise necessary to look at the information associated with your catastrophic injury and develop a life care plan that encapsulates the projected costs associated with this injury. A life care planner can better help by using their knowledge of the available medical resources in your specific geographical location.

Many life care plans are developed in conjunction with your care providers. A life care plan that isn’t developed in conjunction with those care providers will be challenged if it is not supported by qualified expert testimony or reliable methodology. This can also be the case if your life care plan was not developed by a certified life care planner, or some other relevant medical expert. This is why it is so important that your life care plan be created by a Life Care Planner with the experience and knowledge necessary to support your plan.

How can a life care plan help you calculate the costs of your catastrophic injury?

A life care plan can help you calculate the costs of your catastrophic injury by:

• Going over the immediate costs of the catastrophic injury, including the wages you have already lost and the medical expenses you already incurred..
• Analyzing your medical history to determine the ways in which this injury can affect the other medical issues you may have already been dealing with before your injury.
• Looking at the catastrophic injury you sustained and clarifying the long-term care/treatment you will likely require as a result of it. This may include expenses such as in-home care and therapeutic treatments.
• Showing you reliable cost data associated with the catastrophic injury you sustained and the long-term costs that people who sustained a similar injury have had to address as well as the available options and costs where you live.
• Using all of this information to estimate the life-long costs associated with your injury, including things like the money you will lose due to this injury and the life-changes you may need to make as a result.

Some of the evidence that may be used to create your life care plan is as follows:

• Opinions from medical providers, regarding your injury and future prognosis.
• Private insurance costs.
• Medicare rates (may be considered alongside evidence of reasonable market value for services).
• Medical provider testimony regarding your future medical needs.
• The current costs of specific medical services/treatments.
• The current costs of relevant needs, such as your daily nutritional needs.
• Inflation estimates based on current rates calculated by an expert economist.
• Your wage/income information.
• Medical evaluation and examination documentation as well as testing.
• Input from family members, caregivers, and friends; among others.

The above can be used to develop a lifecare plan that clarifies the life-long costs of your catastrophic injury.

What are some of the ways a life care plan can be used to support your damages in Georgia courts?

A life care plan can be used to support your damages in Georgia courts. Some of the most notable ways it can do this are as follows:

• If you are asking for future medical bills as a portion of your damages, and your life care plan shows that this $500,000 is necessary due to the long-term costs associated with your injury, the plan will help support your request for that amount and explain to a jury where that amount came from.
• If you are asking for damages that cover the costs associated with your lost earning power, your life care plan can help prove that your ability to make money was damaged due to your catastrophic injury.
• If you are asking for damages to support the long-term home modifications you need to make, you can clarify the costs associated with these home modifications using your life care plan.
• If you are asking for a very large sum of money, your life care plan can include an itemized budget, rooted in facts, that validates your need for compensation.
• If you are asking for a settlement that encompasses costs associated with the next two decades, your life care plan can demonstrate that these costs exist and why you need money to address them.

Additionally, a life care plan often plays a critical role in serious personal injury cases because:

• If you do not know the costs associated with your catastrophic injury, you may not be able to obtain the exact amount of money you need. This may leave you uncompensated for future damages you have yet to incur.
• If you cannot prove that the money you are requesting is necessary, due to the long-term costs associated with your injury, you may not be able to argue effectively for that recovery.
• If you do not know the non-medical costs that your catastrophic injury will create, the settlement you obtain may not be able to address these costs when they arise in the future.

If you sustained a catastrophic injury, and you would like to obtain compensation, you may want to develop a life care plan. A catastrophic injury lawyer can help you with this.

Speak with an experienced Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyer today

If you sustained a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may want to work with a lawyer who can help. Use this contact form to speak with an experienced Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyer today.