When veterans talk about traumatic brain injury, they do not speak in abstracts. They talk about headaches that will not quit, memory slips that cost them at work, mood swings that wear on a marriage. Caregivers talk about sleepless nights and learning how to manage symptoms at home. This is life for many families in our community.

Mission Roll Call surveyed 2,408 veterans, family members, and caregivers nationwide. 337 told us they have a TBI diagnosis in their household. That is fourteen percent of everyone who responded. The message that comes through is simple. Too many veterans with TBI are not getting the help they need, and families are carrying the load.

Access to Care Is Still Too Hard

Among the 337 who reported living with TBI, too many said their care needs had not been met. Some had received treatment, but many had not. The challenges aren’t new: distance to VA facilities, long wait times, and bureaucracy that makes it harder to stay in the fight for care.

When you’re living with a brain injury, the last thing you should have to do is navigate a maze. Yet that’s exactly what too many veterans described.

Care That Feels Disconnected

Those who did get treatment often described it as a patchwork. Some went to the VA, some to private providers, and many to both. What was missing was continuity. Veterans were left to coordinate between systems that don’t always talk to each other.

One veteran told us he felt like he had to be his own case manager — scheduling, tracking, and explaining his injury over and over. For an injury that affects memory, concentration, and emotional stability, that’s not just frustrating, it’s dangerous.

Mental Health Is on the Line

We asked directly whether TBI had been tied to mental health struggles like depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. A meaningful number said yes.

This is where the system is failing veterans. TBI isn’t just about bumps to the head in combat or training. It’s about how those injuries ripple through a veteran’s entire life. It’s about families watching their loved one change, often without the support they need.

Families and Caregivers Feel It Too

The survey also reached caregivers. 346 respondents said they currently or previously served as a caregiver for a veteran. Their answers paint a tough picture: many don’t feel they have the training or support needed to manage symptoms at home. And they described the personal toll caregiving takes — exhaustion, stress, and declining health of their own.

TBI doesn’t just affect the person who lived through it. It reshapes households. When caregivers aren’t supported, veterans suffer too.

Veterans Want Options

Across all 2,400 respondents, one message came through loud and clear: veterans want options. They believe it’s important to have access to specialized care, even if that means working with non-VA providers.

This isn’t about rejecting the VA. It’s about recognizing that no single system can meet every need. Veterans are telling us they want the freedom to get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Veterans Are Asking for Help

Perhaps the most telling part of the survey wasn’t in the multiple-choice boxes. Nearly 800 people left their email addresses asking for follow-up. That’s not just data collection. That’s veterans and families raising their hands and saying, “I need help.”

We owe them more than another report that sits on a shelf. We owe them action.

A Call for Leadership

Veterans with TBI have already carried the weight of their injury. They shouldn’t have to carry the burden of fixing a broken system too.

The call from this survey is simple: listen to veterans, clear the barriers, support the families, and expand access to the care they say they need. Veterans have done their part. Now it’s time for Congress and the VA to do theirs.

The Bottom Line

This survey makes the message clear. Many veterans are living with TBI, yet too few have had their needs met. The barriers are familiar—distance to care, long delays, and layers of bureaucracy that make it harder to get help. Even when treatment is available, it often feels fragmented, leaving veterans to manage their own recovery. Families and caregivers are carrying much of the burden, often without the support or training they need.

Veterans are also telling us they want more options, including access to specialized care outside the VA when the system cannot meet their needs. And perhaps most importantly, hundreds of respondents are actively asking for follow-up and help right now.