Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 40 > Chapter 5-A - Health Provisions: Children

• Actuarial equivalent: means a benefit of equivalent value to the accumulated contributions, annuity, or benefits, as the case may be, computed upon the basis of such interest and mortality assumptions as are adopted by the board or provided in law. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Advanced life support: means an advanced level of pre-hospital, interhospital, and emergency service care which includes basic life support functions, cardiac monitoring, cardiac defibrillation, telemetered electrocardiography, administration of antiarrhythmic agents, intravenous therapy, administration of specific medications, drugs and solutions, use of adjunctive ventilation devices, trauma care, and other techniques and procedures authorized in writing by the secretary pursuant to department regulations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Agency: means any state office, department, board, commission, institution, division, officer or other person, or functional group, heretofore existing or hereafter created, that is authorized to exercise, or that does exercise, any functions of the government of the state in the executive branch, but not any governing body or officer of any local government or subdivision of the state, or any parochial officer who exercises functions coterminous with the municipality in which he performs those functions. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Agricultural products: include horticultural, viticultural, forestry, dairy, livestock, poultry, bee, and other farm products;

  (2)  "Member" includes actual members of associations without capital stock and holders of common stock in associations organized with capital stock;

  (3)  "Association" means any association organized under this Part; and,

  (4)  "Person" includes individuals, firms, partnerships, corporations, and associations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:122

• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appropriation: means an authorization by the legislature to a budget unit for a program to expend from public funds a sum of money, for purposes designated, under the procedure prescribed in this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Association: means any association organized under this Part; and,

  (4)  "Person" includes individuals, firms, partnerships, corporations, and associations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:122

• Attack: means any attack or series of attacks by an enemy of the United States causing or which may cause, substantial damage or injury to civilian property or persons in the United States in any manner by sabotage or by the use of bombs, missiles, shellfire, or atomic, radiological, chemical, bacteriological or biological means or other weapons or processes. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:1403
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Basic life support: means a basic level of pre-hospital care which includes patient stabilization, airway clearance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, initial wound care and fracture stabilization, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the secretary. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Beneficiary: means any person designated to receive a pension, an annuity, a retirement allowance, or other benefit as provided by this Subpart. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Birthing center: means a healthcare facility, the primary purpose of which is the performance of low-risk deliveries, where births are planned to occur away from the mother's usual residence following a low-risk pregnancy. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• board: means the board provided for in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Board of trustees: means the board provided for in Part V of this Chapter to administer the retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Board of trustees: means and includes the members of the board of trustees of the retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Child: means an unmarried individual under the age of eighteen. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1079.12
• collection: as used in this Subpart shall include the sale or securitization of long-term delinquent accounts receivable and all other obligations subject to the provisions of this Subpart. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:88.3
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of financial institutions. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• company: means a person, whether natural or juridical, that uses a digital network to connect transportation network company riders to transportation network company drivers who provide prearranged rides, or a person, whether natural or juridical, that provides a technology platform to a transportation network company rider that enables the transportation network company rider to schedule an intrastate prearranged ride. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Concurrent resolution: A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President/Governor and thus do not have the force of law.
• Consumer: means a natural person who purchases goods, services, or movable or immovable property or rights therein, for a personal, family, or household purpose and includes a purchaser or buyer in a consumer credit sale or transaction made with the use of a seller credit card or otherwise, or a borrower or debtor in a consumer loan, revolving loan account, or a lender credit card. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Consumer credit transaction: means a consumer loan or a consumer credit sale but does not include a motor vehicle credit transaction made pursuant to La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Consumer loan: means a loan of money or its equivalent made by a supervised financial organization, a licensed lender, or lender in which the debtor is a consumer, and the loan is entered into primarily for personal, family, or household purposes and includes debts created by the use of a lender credit card, revolving loan account, or similar arrangement, as well as insurance premium  financing. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Coordinator: means the person coordinating the EMSC program. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• creditor: as used in this Chapter includes a seller in a consumer credit sale, revolving charge account, or transaction made with the use of a seller credit card or otherwise, or a lender in a consumer loan, a revolving loan account, or a lender credit card transaction. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Deficit: means the excess for any fiscal year of actual expenditures paid by warrant or transfer over the actual monies received and any monies or balances carried forward for any fund at the close of the fiscal year as such are reported by the office of statewide reporting within the division of administration. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Department: means the Louisiana Department of Health. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• Department: means the Louisiana Department of Health. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1073.1
• Department: means the Louisiana Department of Health. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Department: means the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Digital network: means any online-enabled application, software, website, or system offered or utilized by a transportation network company that enables the prearrangement of rides with transportation network company drivers. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• Direct rollover: means a payment by the system to the eligible retirement plan specified by the distributee. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• driver: means a person who receives connections to potential passengers and related services from a transportation network company in exchange for payment of a fee to the transportation network company, and who uses a personal vehicle to offer or provide a prearranged ride to persons upon connection through a digital network controlled by a transportation network company in return for compensation or payment of a fee. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• Early intervention services: means services that are designed to meet the developmental needs of an infant or toddler with a disability, in any one or more of the following areas:

              (a) Physical development. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1073.1

• Early intervention services provider: includes but is not limited to the following:

              (a) Special educators. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1073.1

• Eligible retirement plan: means an individual retirement account described in Section 408(a), an individual retirement annuity described in Section 408(b), an annuity plan described in Section 403(a), or a qualified trust described in Section 401(a), all of the Internal Revenue Code, that accepts the member's eligible rollover distribution. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Eligible rollover distribution: means any distribution of all or any portion of the balance to the credit of a member, except that an eligible rollover distribution does not include any distribution that is one of a series of substantially equal periodic payments not less frequently than annually, made for the life or life expectancy of the member or the joint lives or joint life expectancies of the member and the member's designated beneficiary, or for a specified period of ten years or more, or any distribution to the extent such distribution is required under Section 401(a)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the portion of any distribution that is not includable in gross income. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Emergency interim successor: means a person designated pursuant to this Part, in the event the officer is unavailable, to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of an office until a successor is appointed or elected and qualified as may be provided by the constitution, statutes, charters and ordinances or until the lawful incumbent is able to resume the exercise of the powers and discharge the duties of the office. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:1403
• Emergency medical services personnel: means persons trained and certified or licensed to provide emergency medical care, whether on a paid or volunteer basis, as part of a basic life support or advanced life support pre-hospital emergency care service or in an emergency department or pediatric critical care or specialty unit in a licensed hospital. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Employee: means any commissioned member or employee of the Harbor Police Department of the Port of New Orleans prior to July 1, 2004, or any commissioned member of the Harbor Police Department of the Port of New Orleans on or after July 1, 2004 and hired on or before June 30, 2014. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Employer: means the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• EMSC program: means the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Enrolled bill: The final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both chambers in identical form. It is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate officials, and submitted to the President/Governor for signature.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Expenses: means amounts represented by cash paid out or by obligations to pay cash or partly by each for maintaining and operating government services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Facility: means an entity licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health that provides a broad range of diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation services on both a scheduled and nonscheduled basis in an accessible residential or nonresidential setting by qualified professionals to persons and their families in need of counseling or treatment related to alcohol abuse and alcoholism, or drug abuse, or both. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1079.12
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fund: means an independent fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts recording cash or other resources together with all related liabilities, obligations, reserves, and equities which are segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with regulations, restrictions, and limitations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Gestational carrier: means a woman who agrees to engage in a process by which she attempts to carry and give birth to a child born as a result of an in utero transfer of a human embryo to which she makes no genetic contribution. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:2718.1
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Healthcare provider: means a physician as defined in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1089.2
• Heat acclimatization: means a series of changes or adaptations that occur in response to heat stress in a controlled environment over the course of seven to fourteen days. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1087.1
• Hospital: means a facility that is licensed as a hospital in accordance with the provisions of the Hospital Licensing Law, La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• In utero embryo transfer: means the medical procedure whereby the genetic mother's egg is fertilized with the sperm of the genetic father, with the resulting embryo transferred into the uterus of the gestational carrier. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:2718.1
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Intended parents: means a married couple who each exclusively contribute their own gametes to create their embryo and who enter into an enforceable gestational carrier contract, as defined in this Chapter, with a gestational carrier pursuant to which the intended parents will be the legal parents of the child resulting from an in utero embryo transfer. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:2718.1
• Interstate game: means any regular season game played out of state. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1087.1
• Intrastate prearranged ride: means any prearranged ride, as provided for in this Section, originating within the jurisdiction of the local governmental subdivision. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• lender credit card: includes a travel and entertainment credit card account that is not subject to loan finance charges or credit service charges. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Liability: means a debt arising out of a transaction where goods or services have been received or rendered which must be liquidated, renewed, or refunded at some future date. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Licensed lender: means a person licensed by the commissioner to make consumer loans pursuant to this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Licensed midwife: means a midwife who is licensed in accordance with the provisions of the Midwife Practitioners Act, La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local governmental subdivision: means any parish or municipality as defined in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• local governmental subdivision: means a parish or municipality. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:1420.21
• Member: includes actual members of associations without capital stock and holders of common stock in associations organized with capital stock;

  (3)  "Association" means any association organized under this Part; and,

  (4)  "Person" includes individuals, firms, partnerships, corporations, and associations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:122

• Member: includes any employees, as defined in Paragraph (16) of this Section, included in the membership of this plan as provided in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Member: means any teacher included in the membership of the system as provided in Part II of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Office: includes all local offices, the powers and duties of which are defined by the constitution, statutes, charters, and ordinances. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:1403
• Official forecast: means the most recently adopted estimate of money available for appropriation by the Revenue Estimating Conference as provided in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Organization: means corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Participant: means any employee who is entitled to the beneficial provisions of this retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Pediatric: means children and youth eligible and certified for Medicaid coverage, Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program coverage, or coverage under a Louisiana Medicaid waiver program or Louisiana Medicaid managed care program. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1077.1
• Pension: means annual payments for life, payable in equal monthly installments, derived from money provided by the Orleans Parish School Board and other amounts accumulated in the pension accumulation account as provided for in this Part. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Pension reserve: means the present value of all payments to be made on account of any pension or benefit in lieu of any pension computed upon the basis of mortality tables adopted by the board of trustees, plus regular interest. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Pensions: means payments for life. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Person: as used in this Chapter means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, association, joint venture pool, syndicate, sole proprietorship, unincorporated organization, or any other form of entity not specifically listed herein. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Person: means an individual or any legal or commercial entity, including a corporation, business trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, or joint venture. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:1
• Personal vehicle: means a vehicle that is used by a transportation network company driver and is owned, leased, or otherwise authorized for use by the transportation network company driver. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• Plan: means the Harbor Police Retirement Plan established in this Subpart and administered as a plan within the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System pursuant to La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Political subdivision: includes parishes, municipalities, districts and other public subdivisions and entities, whether organized and existing under charter or general law. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:1403
• Postneonatal death: means the death of a child aged twenty-eight days to three hundred sixty-four days. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• Pre-hospital care: means the provision of emergency medical care or transportation by trained and certified or licensed emergency medical services personnel at the scene of an emergency and while transporting sick or injured persons to a medical care facility or provider. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Prearranged ride: means the provision of transportation by a driver to a rider that commences when a driver accepts a ride requested by a person through a digital network controlled by a transportation network company, continues during the driver transporting a requesting rider, and ends when the last requesting rider departs from the personal vehicle. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• preventive counseling: means services, general guidance and support, or service coordination, including but not limited to individual and group counseling, support services, and education about alcohol and other drugs and their effects, which are provided by a qualified professional to prevent a child from developing or suffering from alcoholism, alcohol or drug addiction, alcohol or drug abuse, or related physical, emotional, or mental health problems. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1079.12
• Prior service: means service rendered by an employee prior to the effective date of the establishment of this retirement system for which credit is allowable as provided in this Part. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Program: means a grouping of activities directed toward the accomplishment of a clearly defined objective or set of objectives. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Projected deficit: means the excess of appropriations and non-appropriated requirements over the official forecast for any fund during any fiscal year. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Public recreation facility: means a recreation facility owned or leased by the state of Louisiana or a political subdivision thereof. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1089.2
• Qualified professional: shall include :

              (a) A certified substance abuse counselor or certified prevention counselor. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1079.12

• Regular season game: means any intrastate or interstate game played during the regular sports season. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1087.1
• Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Subpart. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance allowable under the provisions of this Part. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Retirement system: means the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana as defined in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• rider: means a person who uses a transportation network company's digital network to connect with a transportation network driver who provides intrastate prearranged rides to the rider in the driver's personal vehicle between points chosen by the rider. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:2191
• School: means any public elementary or secondary school in the state of Louisiana operated by a city or parish school board or any nonpublic school approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1079.12
• Secretary: means the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1075.3
• Service: means service as a teacher within the meaning of Paragraph (33) of this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Service: means service rendered by an employee as herein defined. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:951.1
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Shaken baby syndrome: means the condition known also as abusive head trauma which is characterized by injuries resulting from violent shaking or shaking and impacting of the head of an infant or small child. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• Spouse: means that person who is legally married to the member on the member's effective date of retirement or effective date of participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan, whichever is earlier. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Sudden unexpected infant death: means the death of an infant of less than one year of age, the cause of which is not immediately obvious before investigation, that occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1086.1
• system: means the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:3682
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Treatment: means an active effort to accomplish an improvement in the mental condition or behavior of a child or to prevent deterioration in his condition or behavior as it relates to drug or alcohol abuse. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1079.12
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Unavailable: means either that a vacancy in office exists and there is no deputy authorized to exercise all of the powers and discharge the duties of the office, or that the lawful incumbent of the office including any deputy exercising the powers and discharging the duties of an office because of a vacancy and his duly authorized deputy are absent or unable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:1403
• Unique provider of health services for catastrophically ill children: means an institution designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center focused solely on pediatrics and that is a children's hospital dedicated to caring for children with catastrophic illness and conducting basic and advanced research into catastrophic childhood diseases such as cancers, acquired and inherited immunodeficiencies, and genetic disorders. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1077.1
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
• Wet bulb globe temperature: means a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight which takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and solar radiation. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1087.1
• Youth athletic activity: means an organized athletic activity where the majority of the participants are seven years of age or older and under nineteen years of age, and are engaging in an organized athletic game or competition against another team, club, or entity or in practice or preparation for an organized game or competition against another team, club, or entity. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1089.2