Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers | August 17, 2026 | Blog \ Car Accidents
When a serious injury changes your life, the costs do not stop when your lawsuit settles. Ongoing treatment, equipment, medication, and personal care can continue for years or decades. Future care costs in Ontario are part of an injury claim designed to cover ongoing needs and are often the largest component of a serious personal injury award.
Key Takeaways
- Future care costs in Ontario compensate you for the reasonable and necessary care your injuries will require in the years ahead.
- The cost of future care is established with expert evidence, usually a cost-of-care assessment prepared by a qualified professional.
- A cost-of-future-care report itemizes future treatments, equipment, medications, and personal care and estimates their long-term costs.
- Amounts are adjusted for life expectancy and for the fact that a lump sum can be invested, using present-value calculations.
- Future care costs are often the largest part of a serious injury award, especially in catastrophic cases.
- Strong medical and expert evidence is important, because insurers frequently dispute the amount of future care.
What Are Future Care Costs?
Future care costs are the projected costs of the medical care, rehabilitation, equipment, and personal assistance an injured person will need after their case resolves. Unlike past expenses, which can be added up from receipts, future care costs look ahead to estimate the care required and its cost over the person’s lifetime. They are a recognized head of damages in Ontario personal injury claims, meant to put the injured person in a position to afford the care their injuries require.
The guiding principle is that the care must be reasonable and necessary as a result of the injury. This can range from ongoing physiotherapy and prescription medication to mobility equipment, home modifications, attendant care, and future surgeries. The more serious the injury, the larger and more complex this component of the claim becomes.
The Cost of Future Care Assessment
Because future care costs look ahead, they cannot simply be asserted. They must be proven with evidence, and the central piece of that evidence is a Cost of Future Care Assessment. This is a specialized evaluation, usually carried out by a qualified professional such as an occupational therapist, physiatrist, or life care planner, who assesses the injured person, reviews their medical records, and consults with their treating providers.
The assessor considers the person’s diagnosis, prognosis, current limitations, and the care their doctors recommend. The result is a detailed plan of the care the person will need going forward, which forms the foundation for calculating the cost of future care in the claim.
What a Cost of Future Care Report Includes
A Cost of Future Care Report translates the assessment into itemized costs. A thorough report typically addresses categories such as:
| Care category | What it typically covers |
| Medical and rehabilitation treatment | Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological therapy, future surgeries |
| Medication | Ongoing prescription and over-the-counter medication related to the injury |
| Assistive devices and equipment | Wheelchairs, braces, and equipment, including replacement over time |
| Personal and attendant care | Help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and mobility |
| Home and vehicle modifications | Ramps, accessible bathrooms, and adapted vehicles where needed |
| Housekeeping and home maintenance | Help with tasks the person can no longer perform |
For each item, the report estimates the cost, how often it will be needed, and for how long. This itemized approach lets the court or the insurer see exactly what the future care number is built from, rather than a single unexplained figure.
How the Numbers Are Calculated
Calculating future care costs is not simply a matter of adding up annual expenses and multiplying by the number of years. Two adjustments are important. First, the projection must account for the person’s life expectancy, and for how long each type of care will be needed, since some needs are lifelong and others are temporary. Second, because the award is paid as a lump sum today to cover costs that arise over many years, the total is adjusted to its present value.
Present-value calculations recognize that a lump sum can be invested and earn a return, so the amount awarded today is discounted to reflect that future growth. Ontario uses prescribed discount rates set out in the Rules of Civil Procedure for this purpose. An economist or actuary is often retained to perform these calculations, ensuring that the lump sum is large enough to fund the care plan over the person’s lifetime without running out.
Future Care Costs in Catastrophic Cases
In catastrophic injury cases, such as severe brain and spinal injuries, future care costs can be very large, sometimes forming the majority of the total award. These cases often involve lifelong attendant care, specialized equipment, home modifications, and extensive therapy. Because accident benefits for catastrophic impairments, though substantial, may not cover the full lifetime cost of care, a properly valued future care claim in a tort action is critical to a catastrophically injured person’s long-term security.
Why Insurers Dispute Future Care Costs
Future care costs are frequently the most contested part of an injury claim, precisely because they are the largest. Insurers may retain their own experts to prepare a competing Cost of Future Care Assessment recommending less care, cheaper alternatives, or a shorter duration. They may argue that certain treatments are not necessary or not caused by the accident. Countering these arguments requires strong, well-documented expert evidence and experienced legal advocacy.
How Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
Properly valuing future care costs takes the right experts and the experience to present their evidence effectively. Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers retain qualified assessors and economists, build a thorough cost of future care report, and advocate for the full lifetime cost of the care you will need. We work on a contingency fee basis, so there is no upfront cost to have your case reviewed. If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury, contact Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Prepares a Cost of Future Care Report?
A Cost of Future Care Report is prepared by a qualified professional with expertise in care planning, often an occupational therapist, physiatrist, registered nurse, or certified life care planner. This professional assesses the injured person, reviews their medical records, and consults with treating providers to determine the care needed. In larger claims, an economist or actuary then calculates the present value of the care plan so that the lump sum awarded is sufficient to fund it over the person’s lifetime.
Are Future Care Costs Paid as a Lump Sum?
In most Ontario tort claims, future care costs are paid as part of a single lump-sum award or settlement rather than as ongoing payments. This is why present-value calculations matter: the lump sum must be large enough, once invested, to cover care costs that will arise over many years. In some cases, particularly catastrophic ones, structured settlements can be arranged to pay out over time, offering tax advantages and financial security.
Can Future Care Costs Be Reopened Later?
Generally, once a tort claim settles or a court issues a final award, it cannot be reopened simply because your future care needs turn out to be greater than expected. This is why it is so important to accurately value future care costs the first time, using thorough expert evidence, before settling. A lawyer will make sure your future needs are fully assessed and accounted for so that you are not left short years down the road.