Expert Flowchart – Expanded

May 14, 2025

If you are unsure whether your case would benefit from the retention of damages experts, our expert flowchart and explanation below are a good first step in determining this. Our experts are familiar with the types of damages that arise from personal injury, medical malpractice, mass tort, and product liability claims. If your case involves one of these types of claims, there is a good chance a damages expert could be a valuable asset to your case. We can help guide you in determining which type(s) of expert you should retain and what to expect from each expert.

If your case involves a past wage loss or a future loss of earning capacity claim:

A retained medical expert or treating physician would evaluate the plaintiff (or review records) and provide opinions regarding the plaintiff’s functional abilities, considering the claimed injuries.

In some cases, a functional capacity evaluation (FCE), typically performed by a physical or occupational therapist, can be helpful in deciphering the impact of the injuries on the plaintiff’s specific job-related tasks.

Then, a retained vocational expert would review the medical expert’s report and the FCE report to understand how the injuries may impact the plaintiff’s ability to work, given their claimed injuries.

If your case involves a claim for future medical treatment:

A retained medical expert or treating physician would evaluate the plaintiff (or review records) and provide opinions regarding the plaintiff’s need for medical treatment, home care assistance, and/or medical supplies/equipment. In a forensic context, a medical expert would disentangle the plaintiff’s needs arising from pre-existing or comorbid conditions and specifically focus on the needs arising from the injuries sustained in the subject accident.

A retained life care planning expert would review the medical expert’s report to develop a detailed plan outlining the expected future care needs related to the subject accident through the plaintiff’s life expectancy. This plan is called a Life Care Plan (LCP) and is organized into various categories, such as: diagnostic testing, physician office visits, medical procedures, medications, home care, architectural renovations, therapeutic needs, surgical interventions, and wheelchair/adaptive technology needs, among others. A Life Care Plan will provide the expected total amount of money required to fund the necessary medical treatment due to injuries sustained in the subject accident.

The need for both a vocational expert and a life care planning expert is common, as injuries that impact an individual’s ability to work often require future care, and, similarly, injuries that require future care often impact an individual’s ability to work. Our experts at VDI are experienced in and capable of providing opinions in both of these areas, with the assistance of a highly skilled team of legal nurse consultants who review voluminous medical records, vocational consultants who research various job requirements and statistics, and life care planners who conduct cost research.