Ask the evaluator what the assessment will cover and which records to provide. Then build a short index showing each document’s author, date and location, with changed circumstances and unresolved questions kept visible beside the original source.
A referral, a treatment note and a supplier document may all mention the same need using different words. Preparing for an assessment starts with keeping those sources identifiable. You can organize what already exists without deciding what future care should be.
The International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals explains that life-care planning uses assessment and research to organize current and future needs and associated costs. Information can come from records, interviews and relevant professionals. Your preparation index helps the evaluator find that information. It is a suggested filing aid, not a completed life-care plan.
Clarify who requested the assessment and why
Keep the referral or appointment request with the file. Ask who requested the assessment, its stated purpose and which topics the evaluator expects to address. Confirm what they want before the appointment and what can be discussed there.
The IARP standards page identifies the fourth edition of its life-care planning standards. Standards 7 and 8 address information needed to begin and expectations about the requested scope. These professional standards do not establish identical appointments or legal requirements for every person being assessed.
Ask about the evaluator’s underlying professional background and experience relevant to your situation. The 2022 fourth-edition standards address appropriate credentials, practice within the person’s profession and consultation about matters outside that scope. A life-care planning credential alone should not be treated as authority for every medical opinion.
If an insurer or court arranged the assessment, show your attorney the actual request. Get advice about that request before making decisions about participation or releasing documents. This preparation guide does not determine those obligations.
Gather the records the evaluator requests
Begin with the requested document list. Ask which date range matters and whether the evaluator already has copies. Before paying for duplicate reports or arranging anything new, clarify what is missing and who is expected to obtain it.
Give each existing document a simple identifier, such as R01 or R02, and keep its original pages together. A filename can include the document date and author. Add the identifier to your index so another person can locate the source without relying on a vague label such as “recent notes.”
If a requested record has not arrived, list it as pending and note when it was requested. The assessment standard, Standard 9, addresses information from multiple sources and noting when a source is unavailable. Ask the evaluator how to handle the gap. A pending label does not replace a request for the underlying record.
Keep recommendations and observations under their own labels
Make the source type visible before summarizing its contents. A sentence copied into an index can lose its meaning when the author’s role or document date disappears.
| Source | What to preserve |
|---|---|
| Written professional recommendation | Author, professional role, date, exact document location and any conditions stated in the recommendation. |
| Personal or family observation | Who observed what, when it happened and when the note was written. Keep the observation separate from a clinical conclusion. |
| Existing supplier estimate | The supplier’s dated document and what it describes. Do not relabel the estimate as a treating professional’s recommendation. |
| Funding or coverage decision | Who issued the decision, its date and the stated scope. Keep the decision letter available for its actual wording. |
If you already keep a family care log, reference the relevant dates in the index rather than rewriting each entry. Existing home-accessibility records can also have their own reference. The index points to those files while preserving their different purposes.
Build a short index that points back to the originals
Use one entry for each document or recommendation you want the evaluator to locate. The fields below are optional organizational suggestions. They do not replace the complete records requested for the assessment.
- Reference and location
- [Document identifier, filename or folder, and page or section containing the relevant information.]
- Author and date
- [Author’s name, professional role if stated, document date and the date you received it.]
- What the source says
- [A brief accurate summary. Keep conditions and uncertainty visible, and make the original available.]
- Status stated in the record
- [Discussed, recommended, ordered, started, completed, changed or unclear. Use only a status supported by the source.]
- Later information
- [A newer document’s identifier, author and date, plus the detail that needs comparison.]
- Separate observation
- [A factual note from you or a family member, with observer and date. Label it as an observation.]
- Question or missing item
- [What you need clarified, which record is unavailable and who you have asked about it.]
Keep the summary brief enough to scan. If a recommendation has several conditions, point to the relevant paragraph rather than shortening it into a statement that sounds unconditional. Avoid assigning a status from memory when the document leaves it unclear.
Show what changed without replacing the earlier record
Add a dated note when new information changes the picture. That might be a newer report, a documented change in living arrangements or a correction to an address in the file. Identify the source and ask the evaluator what the change means for their work.
The fourth-edition standards describe plans that may need updating as circumstances change. They also address a basis for recommendations and review of inconsistencies. Preserve conflicting records for that review instead of choosing which opinion should control.
A hypothetical document mismatch
Suppose two records use different descriptions for an assistive item. In this invented example, you give each record its own identifier and retain both authors and dates. Your question is whether the descriptions refer to the same item.
Leave that question open in the index. Do not merge the entries into a new recommendation, add a price or guess how often an item would need replacing. The example illustrates a filing problem, with no conclusion about medical need.
Prepare questions that the evaluator can answer
Keep a short question list beside the index. You can send practical questions about the appointment in advance, including access needs or interpreter arrangements, without assuming how the assessment will be conducted.
- Which records do you still need, and where should they be sent?
- Who will take part in the appointment, and whom should I contact about access needs?
- Which questions fall outside your professional scope or need another professional’s input?
- Who will receive the report, and whom should I ask about its use?
- How should I supply a missing document or correct a factual error later?
- What information would you want if my circumstances change?
Questions about job demands and work history belong with the relevant assessment request. If you have a separate vocational appointment, our vocational-evaluation preparation guide covers that task.
Keep a dated list of the remaining questions
After the assessment, write down any documents requested and who is obtaining them. Record when you send each item and retain the version you supplied. If you later discover an error in your index, add a dated correction and ask how to deliver it.
Leave clinical decisions with qualified treating professionals. Take legal questions about the assessment request or its use in an injury claim to your attorney. Your index can help identify the source of a question without trying to answer it on another person’s behalf.
Questions about preparing the file
Must every field in the index be complete before the appointment?
These suggested fields are not an official required form. Mark unknown details and ask the evaluator which missing records affect preparation. Follow the actual document request rather than guessing what can wait.
Can I send only my summary instead of the underlying records?
Ask the evaluator what to provide. The index is a guide to the source documents and may omit details needed for assessment. Keep the complete requested records available and confirm the transfer method.
Does a recommendation mean a service has been approved or will be paid?
Keep the recommendation and any funding decision under separate labels. Ask the treating professional about clinical recommendations and the relevant decision-maker about payment. Questions about recovery in an injury claim need their own legal review.
Bring the assessment request to the conversation
If you are unsure how a life-care assessment relates to your Arizona injury claim, Wood Injury Law can discuss the request and your legal questions. Explain which records you have and what remains unclear. Ask the team how to share documents securely before sending sensitive information.
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Sources checked November 9, 2026. This guide helps organize existing records and questions. It does not prescribe care, calculate future costs or determine attendance, disclosure, coverage or recovery in a claim.