Guide series
VA Claims for Traumatic Brain Injury: Complete Guide Series
Plain-English guides to VA claims involving traumatic brain injury: how the VA evaluates TBI residuals under Diagnostic Code 8045, how headaches and mental health symptoms are handled, what the claim exam covers, and what the VA's own regulations say.
Overview
Start here: brain injury & head trauma basics.
A traumatic brain injury itself is an event. What the VA evaluates is what the injury left behind - the residuals. That distinction shapes almost every TBI claim.
Every guide in this series is built strictly from the VA's own published guidance at VA.gov and the federal regulations in Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Each article links to the exact source it relies on.
These guides are educational. They explain what the VA's rules say - they are not legal or claims advice, and they are not a substitute for an accredited representative, who can advise you about your specific claim.
VA Disability Claims for Traumatic Brain Injury, Explained
How the VA handles traumatic brain injury claims: what counts as a TBI, why the residuals are what get rated under Diagnostic Code 8045, and what the regulations require - each rule linked to its VA or 38 CFR source.
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Go deeper on your situation.
9 min readHow the VA Rates TBI Residuals Under Diagnostic Code 8045
The ten facets of cognitive impairment in Diagnostic Code 8045, how the levels translate into a 0, 10, 40, 70, or 100 percent evaluation, and what the regulation actually says.
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8 min readPost-Traumatic Headaches After a TBI, Explained
How the VA handles headaches that follow a head injury: when they are rated as a subjective symptom under Diagnostic Code 8045 and when they are rated under the migraine code, with the regulations linked.
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8 min readMental Health Symptoms After a Brain Injury, Explained
How the VA separates emotional and behavioral effects of a TBI from a diagnosed mental health condition, and how 38 CFR 4.130 and the pyramiding rule interact in these claims.
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8 min readMild TBI and Undocumented Concussions, Explained
What the VA's rules say when a concussion was never written down in service records: how 38 CFR 3.303 treats the record as a whole, and the role of lay evidence.
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7 min readThe VA Claim Exam for a Traumatic Brain Injury, Explained
What the VA's TBI claim exam covers, why the facets in Diagnostic Code 8045 shape the questions, and what the VA publishes about claim exams generally.
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8 min readConditions Secondary to a Traumatic Brain Injury, Explained
How 38 CFR 3.310 applies to conditions that develop after a service-connected brain injury, and how those claims differ from residuals rated under Diagnostic Code 8045.
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Guides on Brain Injury & Head Trauma
You have taken the first step - keep going.
You now know more about brain injury & head trauma than most veterans filing a claim. When you are ready to see what your records support, phone discussions are always free.