Life care planning and forensic evaluation are distinct services, each serving unique case needs.
Understanding their differences ensures you engage the right expert for your litigation or claims process.
What Is a Life Care Plan?
A life care plan outlines an individual’s current and future health care needs after a catastrophic injury or chronic condition:
- Medical & Rehabilitation Services: Therapies, physician visits, assistive devices
- Daily Living Support: Home modifications, personal care, transportation
- Cost Projections: Estimated lifetime expenses for each care element
- Ongoing Review: Regular updates as needs evolve and standards change
Life care planners—often certified nurses or rehabilitation specialists—ensure plans meet accepted care-planning standards.
What Is a Forensic Evaluation?
A forensic evaluation delivers an impartial analysis of work capacity, economic losses, or related issues:
- Vocational Forensic Evaluations: Assess earning capacity and employability
- Economic Forensic Evaluations: Quantify lost profits, business interruption, or valuation
- Psychological/Medical Forensic Evaluations: Overview of mental health or chronic condition impacts
Key steps include records review, interviews, testing, labor market analysis, and clear reporting under federal rules.
Key Differences
|
Aspect |
Life Care Planning |
Forensic Evaluation |
|
Primary Focus |
Health care needs and daily living support |
Work capacity, economic losses, or valuation |
|
Typical Expert |
Certified life care planners (nurses) |
Vocational experts, economists, forensic CPAs |
|
Use Cases |
Catastrophic injury, chronic care |
Personal injury, workers’ comp, employment law |
|
Deliverables |
Dynamic care plan with cost projections |
Forensic report with quantitative analysis |
|
Update Cycle |
Periodic reviews as needs change |
Generally static; updated if new data arises |
When to Use One, the Other, or Both
- Life Care Plan Only: Long-term medical and living support costs
- Forensic Evaluation Only: Lost earning capacity, business interruption, valuation
- Both Services: Complex cases requiring a full view of care costs and economic damages
Coordinating both ensures comprehensive coverage of all losses.
Why It’s Critical to Respect Scope Boundaries
Experts must stay within their domain. Life care planners should not opine on earning capacity or profits. Forensic experts should not draft medical care plans.
Staying in scope prevents admissibility challenges and maintains professional integrity.
Choosing between life care planning and forensic evaluation—or combining both—ensures your legal team captures all relevant damages.
For a deeper overview, start with our cornerstone guide: What Is a Forensic Expert Evaluation?
To discuss your case requirements, please contact us for unbiased, expert-guided services.
