A child may have years of school ahead and no wage history when an injury occurs. Evaluating future earning capacity begins with a question the available records can help answer: how might the injury change the child’s ability to learn, train, and work as an adult? Choosing an occupation and multiplying its salary by a working lifetime skips much of that analysis.
No paycheck does not mean no earning potential
The Louisiana Supreme Court’s Fecke decision discusses why actual earnings do not necessarily measure earning capacity. It also illustrates the importance of specific education, medical, vocational, and economic evidence. That case concerned an adult college student with a developed career path. It does not supply a ready-made earnings figure for a younger child.
For a child, the assessment should identify what the injury may change and how that conclusion is supported. A medical diagnosis alone does not specify an occupation the child will be unable to perform. Likewise, strong grades before the injury do not guarantee a particular degree, job, or salary.
Preserve the school record with its context
Keep attendance, report cards, teacher observations, educational evaluations, support plans, and records of activities before and after the injury. Include relevant developmental and medical history. Earlier learning needs should be described accurately so that later changes can be evaluated against the child’s actual starting point.
Grades can remain steady even when a child needs more help. Record changes such as a shortened school day, extra time, tutoring, or assistance completing familiar tasks. Identify when each support began and whether it helped. A grade without that context may conceal the effort and assistance needed to maintain it.
For children with concussion, the CDC pediatric mild-TBI checklist calls for assessing school needs and monitoring progress with parents and school professionals. That clinical guidance supports recovery planning; it does not predict lifetime earnings. The guide to child accident injuries and symptoms explains the value of dated observations.
Ask what supports each step of the estimate
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Use the arrow keys when the table is focused.
| Part of the assessment | Useful support | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Function before the injury | School history, activities, prior evaluations, age-appropriate work experience | What abilities and limitations were already present? |
| Continuing injury effects | Treating opinions, functional evaluations, therapy progress | Which limitations are expected to persist, and how certain is that prognosis? |
| Education and training options | School progress, support needs, vocational assessment | Which paths remain reasonably supported by the individual evidence? |
| Work opportunities and pay | Identified occupations, job demands, relevant labor-market data | Why do these jobs and wage assumptions fit the child being assessed? |
| Projected financial loss | Disclosed earnings assumptions, work years, benefits, and present-value calculations | How does the result change when an uncertain assumption changes? |
The clinical, vocational, and economic parts should connect. For example, a supported restriction on prolonged standing may affect certain work options. An expert still needs to explain its practical effect on likely training and employment, including work that remains possible. The calculation should not silently treat any restriction as an inability to work at all.
Use wage statistics for the question they answer
The Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that its occupational wage estimates exclude self-employed workers and do not include employer costs for benefits. BLS also does not collect starting-salary data. A published wage figure therefore needs interpretation before it becomes an assumption about a child’s future.
Ask the economist to identify the data year, geography, occupation, assumed education, and anticipated working period. If benefits are added, explain their source. Show how future amounts were converted to present value. A range can make uncertainty visible, but every scenario still needs a factual basis.
Update the evidence without counting the same loss twice
Review the assessment when meaningful new medical or school information becomes available. Improvement, successful accommodations, and newly documented difficulties all matter. Keep the child’s potential earning loss distinct from treatment costs, educational support expenses, and a parent’s missed work, and explain any overlap between claimed categories.
Our article on evidence in Louisiana TBI claims covers the connection between injury and function. The Louisiana brain injury practice page describes the broader claim review. A school and treatment chronology is a useful starting point; a speculative career label is not required.
Editorial & Legal Accuracy Notice (Louisiana)
Sources checked: September 30, 2026
This article provides general information about evaluating a possible loss. It does not assign a career, disability, or dollar value to an individual child.