Concussion Care for Veterans and Service Members

Where do veterans get concussion care?

There are three separate doors, and which one you use depends on your status rather than your symptoms. Enrolled Veterans go through the VA Polytrauma/TBI System of Care; active-duty service members are seen at a military treatment facility, increasingly at an Intrepid Spirit Center; and both groups can often reach a civilian specialist through community care, TRICARE network referral, or private insurance.

The practical problem is that none of these systems advertises the others. A Veteran with dizziness eighteen months after a deployment injury is frequently told to wait, when a vestibular therapist twenty minutes away could start treating it this month. The lists below exist so you can see all three doors at once.

What is the VA Polytrauma/TBI System of Care?

It is the VA's national structure for brain injury, tiered by intensity of need. At the top are five Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers providing intensive inpatient rehabilitation for the most severe injuries; beneath them sit regional Polytrauma Network Sites offering interdisciplinary outpatient and day-treatment programs, then local support teams and points of contact at individual VA medical centers.

You do not need a combat injury to enter it. The system explicitly covers civilian-related traumatic brain injury as well, and any enrolled Veteran can ask a VA primary care provider for a TBI screening and referral.

What is the Defense Intrepid Network?

It is the Department of Defense's counterpart: a network of concussion and brain-health clinics headquartered at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, with Intrepid Spirit Centers and TBI clinics at installations across the country. The defining feature is that the whole team works in one building — neurology, neuropsychology, neuro-optometry, speech, occupational and physical therapy, and behavioral health — rather than as a chain of outside referrals.

These are military treatment facilities, so access runs through TRICARE and a referral from your primary care manager. Eligibility varies by site: some see only active-duty service members, others extend to enrolled beneficiaries as space allows.

VA and DoD brain injury programs in this directory

Every program below is a verified listing. Phone numbers are the publicly published main or appointment lines; eligibility and referral requirements differ at each site, so call before you travel.

Does TRICARE cover concussion treatment?

TRICARE covers medically necessary evaluation and treatment for traumatic brain injury, concussion included. Active-duty service members are generally seen first at a military treatment facility, while dependents and retirees are usually referred out through their primary care manager.

15 listings in this directory explicitly note TRICARE participation, but many more accept it without saying so on their website. Coverage rules and network membership change; confirm directly with TRICARE and with the clinic before your first appointment.

Browse by state

Counts show listings serving military and veteran patients in each state. Every state page also carries the full directory for that state.

If symptoms are getting worse, not better

Worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, unusual drowsiness or confusion, or a headache that keeps escalating are red flags. The CDC advises going to an emergency department immediately if any of these appear after a head injury — call 911 rather than waiting for a scheduled appointment.

If you are a Veteran or service member in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line is reachable by dialing 988 and pressing 1, or by texting 838255.