The Life Care Plan - A Map to Future Medical Care and Costs
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When a person experiences a catastrophic injury or illness, they are faced with a life-altering event. The cost of their future health care and supportive care needs is often the largest component of economic damages in personal injury cases. Measuring such damages for the judge or jury requires a Life Care Plan to quantify the damages most accurately for both plaintiff and defense. 

​A Life Care Plan (LCP) is a valuable tool for attorneys, trustees, claims professionals, clients and families, as it documents the specific needs and lifetime costs for an individual (adult or child) who has a congenital or acquired illness or catastrophic injury that is expected to result in special needs and significant costs throughout the individual’s lifetime.  A LCP is the systematic process of developing a "road map" of the care, goods, and services an individual will need to ensure optimal health, safety, and life satisfaction and to restore the person’s previous life activities to their maximum potential.  While most LCPs are developed for people who have suffered a traumatic injury, LCPs are increasingly used for older adults with chronic conditions to anticipate their health and financial needs in later years.   The International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals’ definition of a Life Care Plan is a follows:  “The Life Care Plan is a dynamic document based upon published standards of practice, comprehensive assessment, data analysis and research, which provides an organized, concise plan for current and future needs with associated cost for individuals who have experienced catastrophic injury or have chronic health care needs.”