Work underway to better understand brain injury and neurocognitive conditions
DVA has taken steps to improve under-standing about the causes and impacts of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and repetitive low-level blast (rLLB) over-pressure exposure during military service.
We’ve been exploring opportunities to help identify causes and ways to diagnose neurocognitive conditions, while understanding individuals can have different symptoms. Our aim is to learn how best to treat these conditions.
Recommendation 61 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide calls for the development of a brain injury program to support serving and ex-serving ADF members with neurocognitive conditions, regardless of the cause.
In 2025, DVA and Defence collaborated to bring medical and scientific experts together to establish the Brain Injury Expert Advisory Panel. The panel has discussed current global best-practice approaches to the challenges of preventing, identifying, monitoring and treating brain injuries.
DVA has commissioned the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to conduct a review of international literature on overpressure exposure impacts, including neurocognitive impacts or brain injury. UNSW will provide ongoing research updates and its reports, along with the outcomes of engagement with Five Eyes partner countries, will be shared with the expert panel to help shape options to address Recommendation 61. The UNSW literature review is now available on the DVA website.
Veterans who believe they are experiencing symptoms of a possible brain injury or other neurocognitive condition are encouraged to speak with their GP to discuss their symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options.
Current and former full-time members of the ADF who are experiencing mental health concerns can access assessments and clinical investigations under DVA’s Non-Liability Health Care (NLHC) program. This includes Reservists who have at least one day of continuous full-time service. Assessment, investigation and treatment will be funded by DVA without needing to identify a causal link between the symptoms or condition and ADF service. Services are provided to anyone with a Veteran White Card that covers NLHC (mental health). Veteran Gold Card holders can also request to be assessed without the need for a service-related condition to be accepted.
Further information, including a fact sheet on mild traumatic brain injury and outcomes of the meetings of the expert panel, is available on the DVA website.