A workers’ compensation claim is designed to pay for expenses and lost wages that a worker incurs as a result of their on-the-job injuries. For mild to moderate injuries, this can be as simple as tracking how much time was missed and the costs of medical treatment until a full recovery has been made.
For more serious or long-term injuries, putting a fair value on the total lifetime impact of your work injury is no easy task. Fortunately, there are professionals that can assist with this process and ensure all your future medical expenses are accounted for when filing your injury claim. Those professionals are called life care planners, and we discuss their role in the workers’ compensation claim process in today’s blog.
The Role Of A Life Care Planner
A life care planner is an industry expert that will carefully review your injuries and your long-term health needs to ensure your injury claim leaves you financially prepared for the future. They’ll do this by reviewing a number of key aspects related to your injury and documenting them on a life care plan. This life care plan will outline all your current and future care needs related to your work injury. It will cover expenses like:
- Medications
- Surgeries
- Physical therapy/Rehab services
- Medical equipment
- Home/Vehicle modifications
Not only will they work to determine which of these factors will apply to your situation, they’ll also translate these future expenses into a clear financial impact. This ensures your workers’ compensation claim request is based on your actual needs, not a general estimate.
So how exactly does a life care planner work to accurately assess the long-term financial impact of your work injury? Some aspects of your case that they’ll review when developing their life care plan include:
- Assessment of your injuries
- Reviewing medical examination reports
- Consulting with your doctor or care team members
- Reviewing your home, work or vehicle for adaptation needs
- Applying their medical knowledge and economic forecasting to your individual case
The simplest way to bring a life care planner aboard to assist with your case is to talk to your workers’ compensation attorney. Your lawyer will have a number of valuable connections within the legal community, and odds are they’ve worked with a number of very helpful life care planners in the past. They can reach out to a specific provider on your behalf and bring them into the fold if there are questions or concerns about getting fair value for your long-term medical expenses after a work injury.
You’ll want to plan appropriately after a severe work injury, and a life care planner can be an immensely valuable professional to connect with if your life has been turned upside down following an on-the-job accident. Let us ensure your current and future financial needs are accounted for in your claim so that you are compensated fairly for your injuries. For more information, or for help with a different type of injury case, reach out to Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today at (952) 230-2700.
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