Life Care Plan vs. Future Cost Projection
Life Care Plan
Comprehensive itemized care plan following IALCP/IARP standards with frequencies, durations, and costs across the lifespan (International Academy of Life Care Planners, 2022).
Learn more about Life Care Plan →Future Medical Cost Projection
Simpler projection of future medical costs that does not follow full life care planning methodology.
Learn more about Future Medical Cost Projection →| Dimension | Life Care Plan | Future Medical Cost Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Methodology | IALCP/IARP standards, treating-team grounded | Variable; often summary of treating-physician testimony |
| Scope | Medical + non-medical categories across lifespan | Typically medical categories only |
| Preparer | CLCP | Sometimes physician or economist |
| Defensibility | Methodology-driven; grounded in published life-care-planning standards | Variable, depends on author and method |
When to use Life Care Plan
Prefer a full life care plan when damages include long-term care across multiple categories.
When to use Future Medical Cost Projection
A simpler projection may suffice when the scope is limited to a single medical category or short horizon.
Where they overlap
Both project future costs. The life care plan provides comprehensive, methodology-grounded coverage across the full scope of needs (Weed & Berens, 2018).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a future cost projection admissible without a CLCP?
It can be. The federal rule on expert testimony, and the state rules that follow it, let a witness qualify through knowledge, skill, experience, training or education, so no one credential is a prerequisite and the court tests the projection's foundation whoever prepared it. A physician can support a projection confined to care within the physician's own practice; a broader projection is usually prepared by a life care planner, for whom the CLCP counts as evidence of training rather than a requirement. Counsel checks whether the forum adds qualifications of its own.
References
- International Academy of Life Care Planners. (2022). Standards of practice for life care planners (4th ed.). Journal of Life Care Planning, 20(3), 5-20. doi.orgOrganization
- Weed, R. O., & Berens, D. E. (Eds.). (2018). Life care planning and case management handbook (4th ed.). Routledge. doi.orgPeer-Reviewed
- Testimony by Expert Witnesses, Federal Rules of Evidence. law.cornell.eduCase Law
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