The Importance of Estate Planning in The Event of Injury
When people are suffering from an injury, their entire world can be thrown into disarray. While on the surface, it may seem that the only area of concern is healing the body and getting back to work, the impact on a person’s life after an injury can be extensive. Examining and comprehensively addressing the areas of potential impact is vital to ensuring that your life does not suffer unnecessary losses.
Getting the Best Medical Treatment
Most people who have suffered from an injury know that getting proper medical care is essential to healing. However, not all medical care is equal. Patients who have been injured in ways that affect their capacity to work should seek out immediate attention at an emergency medical facility capable of treating the injury.
Once an evaluation is done, and initial treatment has begun, most patients of injuries require a specialist to help them get on the right course for healing and a favorable long-term prognosis. People who have an injury should ensure they understand the scope of their impairment, the prognosis for healing, and the best path forward to achieve renewed health. If necessary, people suffering from an injury with a poor prognosis for healing should seek out additional medical opinions from healthcare professionals to see what other options for treatment there are that may provide a better prognosis.
Understanding the Impact of the Injury
While the initial impact of an injury usually is to a person’s body and physical capacity, it is important to address the concerns of decreased mobility and the effect of this aside from having a loss of work. Bodily injuries often impact a person’s ability to complete the tasks at home that were previously considered basic and vital before their injury. Jobs around the house, as well as family and social interactions, are often significantly impacted. This can be the most challenging part of adjusting to life after an injury.
When it comes to financial assets, one of the areas of significant concern other than income capacity concerns is the impact on a person’s financial estate. Often financial nest eggs, financial planning schedules, and investments are left at a reduced capacity from an injury. These issues should be addressed to make adjustments for this time while undergoing the healing process. People who own property should have protections in place to protect them in the event of significant financial disruptions by consulting their estate planning attorney.
Estate Planning Before and During an Injury
People who are actively involved in their estate planning should create a plan for how they will protect their assets in the event of an injury or disability. Preplanning for an unscheduled event such as an injury by having a “rainy day fund” and building up financial asset protections in advance of a potential impairment can be vital. These measures offer better protection for personal assets, so they are not impacted negatively during the post-injury and healing process.
Proper estate planning for potential financial disruptions and having disability fund protections in place as part of your estate planning is recommended. This often includes buying a disability insurance policy as well as having legal stop gaps in place to protect assets from seizure.
To create the best protection against these types of financial and legal problems getting professional assistance is advised. This usually involves the help of a professional estate attorney that can advise you on how to protect your family assets in advance of such an event occurring.
With the right advanced planning, people who suffer from injuries or potential disabilities can be assured that their assets and estate are protected. This can be especially important for protecting families and their homes. Financial losses can escalate rapidly without protective measures in place, which often includes heightened risks to a person’s primary residence. Through the use of a comprehensive estate attorney, people can be confident the negative financial impacts from a potential injury are mitigated.
If a person is injured before financial asset protection is put in place, it is recommended to address this issue as soon as possible. This will help ensure as much of the estate is protected from adverse impacts and financial losses. This should be a priority if an injury is expected to have longer-term effects on a person’s financial earning capacity.
Author information: Rayanne Morriss is currently working towards her BA from Oregon State University. She loves to read, travel, and paint. She enjoys finding new coffee shops with friends and expanding her cooking skills.
