When should I seek urgent help?
After a recent head injury, get emergency care for a severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, slurred speech, new weakness or numbness, or marked confusion or drowsiness. VA lists these as warning signs in its TBI symptom guidance. This page is for care navigation, not diagnosis.
What should I tell the VA team?
Share the date and type of injury if known, symptoms that persist or change, prior evaluations, medications, and how symptoms affect work, family life, and activities. Ask whether a comprehensive TBI evaluation or Polytrauma referral is appropriate. VA’s Polytrauma/TBI System of Care offers several levels of interdisciplinary rehabilitation. Services and referral requirements differ by location.
What if pain and mTBI occur together?
VA notes that headache and neck pain are common after TBI and that pain can complicate sleep, fatigue, mood, and participation in rehabilitation. Ask your clinician to assess pain alongside cognitive, balance, vision, sleep, and mental-health concerns. See VA’s pain-after-TBI guidance and our chronic pain care guide. Do not change medicines without your treating clinician.
Can I ask for care outside VA?
Yes—ask your VA team whether the needed evaluation or treatment qualifies for Community Care. The eligibility rules and referral steps are the same general VA process; the specific service must be approved. Use the Community Care guide to check the provider, authorization, and follow-up.
Is Valor an mTBI treatment?
This site does not claim that Valor diagnoses or treats mTBI or persistent concussion symptoms. Valor’s currently described program is for selected people living with chronic pain. If you have both pain and an mTBI history, ask your treating team about clinical fit and the relevant approved indication before considering the program.
Frequently asked questions
Does “mild” mean symptoms cannot last?
No. VA notes that some people have symptoms that continue after a mild TBI. A clinician can evaluate persistent or changing symptoms.
Where can I find a VA TBI specialist?
Ask your VA primary care team about TBI evaluation and the nearest Polytrauma/TBI program. VA’s Polytrauma site describes the care network.
Does a prior mTBI automatically qualify me for Valor or Community Care?
No. Clinical fit for any program and VA Community Care eligibility require separate, individual review.
Sources used on this page
VA pages are the authority for care and referral steps. Reddit discussions are cited as individual experiences and questions, never as VA rules.
- VA: Polytrauma/TBI System of Care
- VA: TBI symptoms and support
- VA: Managing pain after traumatic brain injury
- VA: Eligibility for community care outside VA
- VA: How to get community care referrals and schedule appointments