Traumatic Head & Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund Program

The Traumatic Head and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund (THSCI) was created by the Louisiana Legislature in 1993 with Act 654, which imposes additional fees on motor vehicle violations in Louisiana for the offenses of driving under the influence, reckless operation, and speeding. These fees provide the funds for this program.

Louisiana's Traumatic Head & Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund Program provides services in a flexible, individualized manner to Louisiana citizens with traumatic head or traumatic spinal cord injuries.The program enables individuals to return to a reasonable level of functioning and independent living in their communities.

How to apply for services

Calling 225.219.2410 or 1.888.891.9441 to apply for services.

 DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION

Eligibility

To be determined eligible for services, an individual must meet the definition of traumatic head injury or spinal cord injury:

Meet the definition of traumatic head injury or spinal cord injury as defined above.
Must be medically stable, including normal vital signs, no progression of deficits and/or no deterioration of physical/cognitive status; does not require acute daily medical intervention.
Must have a reasonable expectation to achieve a predictable level of outcome to achieve improvement in quality of life and/or functional outcome.
Must be willing to accept treatment from an advisory board-approved facility/program.
Must be a resident of Louisiana and officially domiciled in Louisiana at the time of injury and during the provision of services.
Must have exhausted all other governmental and private resources before utilizing trust fund benefits.
Must provide proof of denial from other sources.
Must complete and submit an application for services.

Services

The following services are available to eligible individuals and will be provided on a first come, first serve basis:

Evaluations
Post-acute medical care rehabilitation
Therapies
Medication
Attendant care
Equipment necessary for activities of daily living
Other goods and services deemed appropriate and necessary

The Trust Fund will not provide any service that is experimental. The service providers must be approved by the Advisory Board, and in-state facilities/programs are given priority for approval as service providers. Services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Expenditures shall not exceed $15,000 for any 12-month period or $50,000 in total expenditures per individual.

Additional Resources



The stress of everything is overwhelming. Every place and person I have called has shut the door in my face, and I felt like I was drowning. No one wanted to help until I called you. You have been an angel sent to me who has been incredibly kind, willing to listen and also help find what we need. By sharing your own personal stories, you have shown me that there is hope. Having you to talk to has been such a comfort and I just can’t say thank you enough. This has been an incredibly hard road but now that I have found you, it has become easier because I know there is someone who cares. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, my sweet angel, and thank you for shining some hope back in my life.

Mary Katherine Greer

Caregiver



Working as an advocate with spinal cord injury individuals, I have found very useful information from BIALA. They are quick to respond to my inquiries, and we work well together to find the resources individuals and caregivers need. Life with spinal cord injuries can be challenging so it is wonderful to know I have an organization such as BIALA to work with to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

Nick Kylo

SCI Advocate



In between my therapies, I wanted to keep moving forward so I reached out to find some ideas of ways to keep my brain working. They were so helpful and friendly and gave me many great ideas to try. We were even laughing together, and it made it feel like I was talking to a friend.

Bobby Bodin

Individual with TBI