Published Aug 10, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT
VA Failed to Complete Brain Injury Evaluations for 142,000 Post 9/11 Veterans: Watchdog
Systemwide screening reached millions yet thousands fell through scheduling and consult gaps in VA's TBI pipeline.
More than 142,000 post-9/11 veterans who screened positive for a possible deployment-related traumatic brain injury and agreed to a comprehensive VA evaluation did not ultimately receive one, according to a new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) watchdog report. The VA Office of Inspector General found that 301,177 veterans agreed to receive a comprehensive traumatic brain injury evaluation after screening positive between Sept. 11, 2001, and March 31, 2025. Only 158,907 received the evaluation, leaving 142,270 without the follow-up assessment. The finding comes from a national review released Aug. 5, examining how the Veterans Health Administration screens and evaluates post-9/11 veterans for traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. The review found that the VA was largely successful at getting eligible veterans through the initial screening process, but significant numbers fell out of the system before receiving the more detailed medical evaluation used to determine whether they actually had a TBI.
