Consultant
Education
- Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA
Master of Health Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition/Dietetics
Licensure
- Certified Rehabilitation Counselor
- Certified Vocational Evaluator
- Certified Life Care Planner
Additional Information
Hiral Patel is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Vocational Evaluator, and Certified Life Care Planner with RPC. Ms. Patel provides expert testimony, reports, and independent recommendations in personal injury, employment, and workers’ compensation litigation in both plaintiff and defense cases.
As a vocational evaluator, she assesses pre-injury and post-injury employability through vocational testing, transferable skills analysis, job requirements analysis, rehabilitation plans, and evaluation of reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. She provides opinions on employability, earning capacity, and vocational rehabilitation potential.
As a life care planner, Ms. Patel develops and critiques life care plans, analyzing medical, vocational, and rehabilitation records. She collaborates with treating and consulting physicians, as well as other clinicians, to determine the medically necessary services with reasonable medical certainty. RPC’s economists then calculate the discounted present value of those services.
Ms. Patel is an active member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP), and the International Association of Life Care Planners (IALCP). Before joining RPC, she had several years of experience working with vocational agencies in Louisiana and vocational and life care planning consulting firms in Louisiana and Texas.