Recovering Long-Term Care Costs After a Catastrophic Injury in Wisconsin

A catastrophic injury can change far more than a person’s health. It can create years or even a lifetime of medical care, rehabilitation, and daily assistance, all while the injured person may be unable to work and bills continue to mount.

If someone else’s negligence caused the injury, a personal injury claim may include long-term care expenses, not just the costs already incurred. Accurately estimating these needs is critical because a settlement that falls short could leave the injured person and their family responsible for years of care.

Understanding what qualifies as long-term care, who may be responsible for paying these costs, and how they are calculated can help protect an injured person’s financial future.

What Long-Term Care After a Catastrophic Injury Actually Looks Like

A catastrophic injury can cause permanent impairment, significant disability, or a need for ongoing medical care and assistance. Examples include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis, severe burns, and amputations. 

Depending on the injury, long-term care may include:

• In-home caregivers or skilled nursing
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Mental health care
• Adaptive and mobility equipment
• Home and vehicle modifications
• Help with everyday activities

Care needs can also increase over time. Someone who needs part-time assistance today may eventually require more extensive support because of complications or changes in their condition.

The Real Cost of Long-Term Care in Wisconsin

Ongoing care costs are among the largest financial consequences of a catastrophic injury.

According to CareScout’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey, median costs in Wisconsin include:

These estimates multiply the current monthly median by 120 months and do not account for inflation or changes in the level of care required.

These figures don’t account for every expense that can come with a catastrophic injury. Home modifications, accessible transportation, medical equipment, and help with everyday activities can add substantially to the overall cost of care.

Costs may also rise over time. That’s why a claim should consider what the injured person may need years from now, rather than relying only on what care costs today.

How a Personal Injury Claim Recovers Future Medical Expenses

When someone else causes a catastrophic injury, a personal injury claim can seek compensation for future care the injured person is expected to need. This may include medical treatment, therapy, nursing care, medications, equipment, and other ongoing needs.

In Wisconsin, you must show evidence that future care is likely to be needed. The exact cost need not be known with certainty, but the need for care must be based on probability, not possibility.

There are different ways to estimate these costs. An additional-expense approach looks at new expenses incurred as a result of the injury, such as caregiving, therapy, or medical equipment. A total-lifestyle approach takes a broader look at the cost of the person’s care and living needs when the injury has changed how they must live.

Medical evidence helps determine what care will likely be needed and for how long. Those needs can then be used to estimate the cost of care over the injured person’s lifetime.

Proving the Need for a Lifetime of Care

A life care planner can develop a detailed plan based on the injured person’s diagnosis, limitations, treatment recommendations, and expected needs. The plan may identify the type and frequency of care required and project those costs over the person’s lifetime.

Supporting evidence may also come from:

• Treating physicians
• Rehabilitation and vocational experts
• Economists who account for inflation and other changes in future costs
• Medical records and treatment plans

When an injured person requires round-the-clock care, medical evidence can document the need for 24-hour assistance. A life care plan and economic projections can then help determine the expected cost of that level of care.

Home Modifications, Equipment, and Everyday Costs You Can Claim

Long-term care expenses are not limited to treatment provided in a hospital or doctor’s office. A claim may include costs such as:

• Wheelchair ramps and stair lifts
• Accessible bathrooms and other home modifications
• Wheelchairs and assistive technology
• Accessible vehicles
• Transportation to medical appointments
• Assistance with everyday activities

Identifying these needs from the start is important. Once a personal injury claim is settled, you cannot go back and seek more compensation for care or other expenses that were overlooked. 

Protecting Your Recovery With a Special Needs Trust

A settlement can affect eligibility for certain need-based government programs. A Special Needs Trust is a legal arrangement that can hold settlement funds for an eligible injured person while helping preserve access to benefits such as Medicaid.

A personal injury settlement may provide money for future care, while Medicaid, private insurance, or long-term care insurance may cover certain expenses under their own rules. Coordinating these funding sources can help prevent a settlement from creating unexpected eligibility or coverage issues.

Because the rules are complex and vary by program, an attorney can help identify issues to address before finalizing a settlement.

Wisconsin Deadlines and Fault Rules That Affect Your Claim

Wisconsin requires personal injury actions to be filed within three years, although exceptions and different deadlines can apply.

Wisconsin also follows a modified comparative negligence rule. The amount you recover may decrease if you share responsibility for the accident. In Wisconsin, you cannot recover from a party whose share of the fault is less than your own. 

Acting early can help preserve medical records, witness information, video footage, and other evidence needed to establish fault and document the full cost of future care.

Talk to a Green Bay and Appleton Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Accounting for future care costs can be critical to protecting you and your family financially. 

Brian Hodgkiss Injury Lawyers can help you understand the long-term care expenses that may be part of your claim and the evidence needed to support them.

We are available 24/7, and our No Fee Guarantee® means you only pay when we win. Bank on Brian! If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury and need help recovering the long-term costs, contact us today for a free consultation.