Brain Injury & Recovery-TBI Program

The WDVA Brain Injury & Recovery-TBI Program serves to support and represent every veteran in Washington State that has incurred a Brain Injury or experiencing symptoms of Brain Injury.

That means that we:

• Provide one on one support 
• Provide answers, resources, and referrals 
• Support the groups and agencies that are out there doing great things for our veterans 
• Provide training and advice to any agency, group, summit, conference, etc. that wants to know more about how to help veterans living with Brain Injury or experiencing symptoms related to Brain Injury.

Why we do it:

The veteran community experiences brain injury at a rate much higher than that of their civilian counterparts. These injuries often go undetected and underreported because they do not appear “severe” enough to warrant treatment and simply an invisible wound many veterans experience. The blast injury, for example, is considered the signature injury of OEF/OIF and can cause brain damage with symptoms such as light sensitivity, migraines, difficulty with emotions and memory, and will increase the risk of substance abuse, homeless and suicide to name a few yet many vets are unaware they have even been injured from having experienced a blast.

Resources: 

• http://comics.tbi.washington.edu/ 
• http://www.caregiver.va.gov/
• https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/traumatic-brain-injury/traumatic-brain-injury-advisory-council
• http://dvbic.dcoe.mil/
• http://www.brainlinemilitary.org/
• http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/traumatic-brain-injury.asp
• Brain Injury Alliance of Washington State
• WDVA Behavioral Health Provider List
• https://www.concussionalliance.org/veterans/

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