Louisiana Nonprofit Offers Scholarships To Children Of Injured Louisiana Workers

According to Kids’ Chance, one in every 50 Louisiana workers gets injured on the job each year, and some of those injuries may result in permanent disability or even death. There is no doubt that many of those disabled or deceased workers have or had children who are in high school or may soon be graduating and looking forward to the exciting opportunities at college or university. Faced with the unfortunate death of a parent or the ongoing struggles of a severely injured and disabled parent, Louisiana children of injured workers are faced with not only the grief and loss associated with the workplace accident, but also the financial turmoil that may result from losing the income of one parent. To help remedy this terrible problem, the Louisiana Bar Foundation Kids’ Chance Scholarship Program was born to help kids of injured Louisiana workers get financial assistance for their education. The program is a glimmer of hope for many children who otherwise may not have the opportunity to advance their education and run with great opportunities, due to a parent’s workplace injury.

In order to be eligible for a scholarship through Kid’s Chance, an applicant must first be a child of a worker who was injured to the point of permanent and total disability under a state or federal workers’ compensation Act or law, or who was killed as a result of a workplace injury. In addition, the applicant must be between the ages of 16 years old and 25 years old, must maintain a “C” grade average or above, must demonstrate that they have a financial need for the scholarship, and must be pursuing a degree at a college or university, or through vocational training. Kids’ Chance has been a longstanding program, first established in 1988 by the Georgia State Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Section. Since 2004, the Louisiana State Bar Kids’ Chance Program began in 2004 and, since then, the program has awarded 331 scholarships to the children of injured Louisiana workers, totaling $835,100.

Justice for Injured Louisiana Workers

As demonstrated by Kid’s Chance, workplace injuries in Louisiana are, unfortunately, not an altogether rare occurrence, and a workplace injury can severely impact not just the injured worker, but their entire family as a whole. Fortunately, for most Louisiana workers, there are options under Louisiana workers’ compensation laws to get important benefits while they are disabled and unable to work. Louisiana workers’ compensation laws entitle most injured Louisiana workers to benefits such as wage replacement compensation, medical cost reimbursement, rehabilitation training, and other benefits. In addition, if a worker is killed due to a workplace injury, certain family members may be able to get compensation.

If you or a loved one has suffered a workplace injury in Louisiana, do not hesitate to learn about your rights and options. Contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe to learn about your eligibility and to see if they can help. Contact Lunsford Baskin & Priebe today for a free and confidential consultation and learn about your rights.

Source:

raisingthebar.org/programs-and-projects/kids-chance-scholarship-program