Brain injury in Los Angeles?Talk to a lawyer for free.

Yes. The CDC calls a concussion a mild traumatic brain injury. With proper care, most people return to work, school and other activities within a few days or weeks, but some have symptoms for months or longer, and recovery may be slower for older adults, young children and people who've had a concussion before. A moderate or severe brain injury can have effects that last for years or for life.

It can be. The CDC says a brain injury affects children differently than adults: an injury of any severity to a developing brain may disrupt development and limit a child's school and sports. In older adults, a brain injury may be missed or misdiagnosed, because its symptoms overlap with conditions that are more common later in life, such as dementia. In Los Angeles County, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the only Level I pediatric trauma center.

More than the hospital stay. Rancho's brain injury program offers long-term care, from inpatient rehabilitation to day rehabilitation, outpatient therapy and primary care. Families take part in setting goals, in therapy and in training before discharge, and Rancho runs brain injury support groups and driver rehabilitation. It accepts most insurance, including Medi-Cal and Medicare, and treats LA County residents who have no insurance.

A guardian ad litem acts only in the lawsuit: the court appoints someone to stand in for a person who can't understand or make decisions in their case, and that guardian hires the lawyer and makes the case's decisions (Code of Civil Procedure §372). A child's case works the same way. A conservatorship is a separate court case, in which a judge appoints someone to make decisions for an adult who needs help, about their personal care (a conservator of the person) or their finances (a conservator of the estate). A judge appoints a conservator only when less restrictive options, such as a power of attorney or an advance health care directive, won't work.

A way for a person with a disability to keep public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medi-Cal, even while having assets that would normally make them ineligible. When a judge approves a settlement for a child, or for an adult who can't make their own decisions, the court decides how the money is held: in a blocked account, for example, or in a special needs trust. The trust must be irrevocable, and the state's Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) must be notified at least 15 days before the hearing to create it.

It depends on who was injured and who may be responsible. A lawsuit is generally due within two years (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1), but for a child those two years usually don't start until 18, and in some cases the same pause applies to an adult who lacked the capacity to make decisions (CCP §352). Neither pause applies to a claim against a public agency, which is usually due within six months. There, the agency must accept a late claim if the injured person was physically or mentally incapacitated for the whole six months and that's why no claim was filed, as long as the application is made in time.

It can include the reasonable cost of care the person is reasonably certain to need in the future, not only the bills so far, along with the ability to earn they've lost. For a lifelong injury, that care is usually set out in a life-care plan: a year-by-year estimate of the medical care, therapy, equipment and help at home someone will need, prepared by medical and rehabilitation experts.

Usually, yes. Medi-Cal has to be told about the claim, and a settlement isn't final until Medi-Cal has had the chance to claim its share of the part that covers medical costs. Medicare's payments are "conditional" and must be repaid from a settlement too, and many health plans can claim repayment. Part of our job is to find out who has a claim, and how much, before you sign.

Yes. Our office is in Woodland Hills, inside Los Angeles city limits, at 22440 Clarendon St, Suite 200, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, and our Palmdale office serves the Antelope Valley. Come in if you like, or we'll come to you, at home, in the hospital or in rehab, anywhere in Los Angeles County. Call (800) 985-9565 any time, 24/7.

Nothing upfront. Your consultation is free, and no attorney's fees are owed unless we recover compensation for you. You may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses; we'll explain them before you sign.