Congress Has Been Flying Blind on Veteran Brain Injury Spending for Years

Shiny golden dollar sign with stacks of bills and coins behind

The Special Disabilities Capacity Report is Congress’s primary tool for deciding how much to invest in VA’s TBI treatment infrastructure. If the numbers feeding that decision are wrong, the veterans who depend on that care pay the price.

A February 2026 review by the VA Office of Inspector General revealed that in FY 2023, the VA reported the wrong financial data for traumatic brain injury, using obligations rather than actual expenditures, thereby overstating actual TBI spending. More so, they failed to report TBI spending at both the geographic service area and national levels as required by law. The DVA Office of Inspector General’s Report 25-01863-31 also determined that VA’s capacity data did not capture community care services or the extent to which bed capacity was used at its specialized rehabilitation centers.

Pointedly, these data errors are the same as those that have been flagged in prior years. This raises questions about whether Congress receives an accurate picture of VA’s TBI treatment infrastructure. As Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Chairwoman of the House VA Health Subcommittee, stated at a March 2026 oversight hearing: “Wrong data takes resources away from [other] areas of need.”

Bounce, Track, Heal: The Surprising Science Behind Roofball and Brain Injury Recovery

Roofball is exactly what it sounds like: players throw or hit a ball onto a sloped roof, and opponents return it before it stops. Originating in America as early as the 1960s*, the sport exploded in popularity after a 2023 Reddit post showcased the Roofball World Championships, racking up 500,000+ views. In 2024, the Roofball World Championship even aired on ESPN.

The game uses simple equipment: a ball, a roof, and competitive spirit. Players score points based on ball placement, with gutters and roof angles adding unpredictable bounces that demand quick reflexes. It can be played one-on-one or with a team, usually during the warmer months of spring and summer. Now governed by the Roofball Federation of America (RFA), which has a presence in multiple states, from New Jersey to Oklahoma, it features regional tournaments. Recreationally, the sport can be played one-on-one or with teams.

Beyond fun, roofball’s rapid tracking and catching may benefit brain injury recovery. A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and available on the PubMed database, found that ball-sport-based exercise therapy significantly improves motor function, balance, and quality of life in acquired brain injury patients. As hand-eye coordination disruption is among the most common deficits after brain injury, the repetitive coordination of handling a bouncing ball drives the neuroplasticity essential for recovery.

Roofball shows that healing can start on your own roof.

*Other reports state that it originated is Oregon in 1998.

Study Bolsters Push for Personalized Treatment

Poster with the text 'Every Brain Injury is Different' overlaid on abstract neural network graphics

A study published in the journal Neurology (epub April 3, 2026; print April 28, 2026), and currently available through the NLM PubMed database, reveals evidence that traumatic brain injuries affect each person’s brain in remarkably unique ways. While such a scientific revelation may seem evident to survivors, it challenges one-size-fits-all treatment approaches.

Researchers led by Jake Mitchell of Monash University (Australia) analyzed brain scans from 407 TBI patients and 224 healthy controls using normative modeling, a technique that measures individual brains against healthy population norms much like pediatric growth charts.  Co -authored by researchers at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, the study found that no more than 23% of patients shared an extreme deviation in the same brain region.

The findings help explain why nearly 30 clinical trials for acute TBI treatments have failed to identify effective therapies. The study results also bolster the case for personalized brain injury medicine. 

Mississippi Joins States for Psychedelic Experimentation

A neon-lit chemical molecular structure floating in a colorful cosmic nebula with stars and galaxies.

Mississippi is now following Texas and a handful of other states, by positioning itself on the frontier of a potential neurological revolution. On March 19, 2026, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves made history by signing HB 314 into law, authorizing the Mississippi State Department of Health to use $5 million of Mississippi’s opioid settlement money to fund clinical trials for the drug ibogaine. The bill takes effect July 1 and allows Mississippi to coordinate trials with other states, including Texas, which has already committed to its own program.

A psychoactive substance derived from the root of a plant native to Africa, ibogaine has been used for centuries in spiritual and healing ceremonies. More recently, it has gained scientific interest for its potential to treat opioid and cocaine addiction. Research suggests it increases signaling of important brain molecules linked to drug addiction and depression. Currently a Schedule I controlled substance, Americans seeking treatment must travel abroad at costs that reportedly reach up to $50,000 per session.

As stated by Dr. Nolan Williams, who was involved in the landmark 2024 Stanford University study that brought attention to the use of ibogaine for brain injury, “no other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury.”

Brain Booster in Easter Basket & Candy Aisle Year-round

Wicker basket filled with chocolate peanut butter cups and colorful pastel candy eggs.

This Easter, as you unwrap a peanut butter egg, you may be doing your mind a bigger favor than you realize.

Peanut butter is a quiet powerhouse for cognitive health, loaded with niacin (B3) and vitamin E. Though peanuts may be in the legume family, rather than a nut, its brain benefits fall in line with them. A recent and compelling study, published in November 2025 by Clinical Nutrition, and accessible through PubMed, is a randomized crossover trial that gave 31 healthy older adults 60g/day of skin-roasted peanuts for 16 weeks. Using MRI scans as a guide, the authors concluded: “Daily consumption of skin-roasted peanuts for 16 weeks improved brain vascular function in healthy older men and women. These favorable effects may underlie the observed improvements in verbal memory.”

Dark chocolate truffle with a bite taken out revealing a creamy peanut butter center.

The implications run deeper than better recall, as studies have long proven. A 2024 review, prepared under a Defense Health Agency contract, found that, “preclinical studies and early human trials suggest that specific nutrients and diets may offer neuroprotection or benefit during mild TBI rehabilitation.” Peanut butter’s niacin is among the compounds flagged by PubMed research as exhibiting neuroprotective properties by reducing lesion volume, oxidative stress, and neuronal damage after TBI.

The brain benefits of dark chocolate have also been widely proven. So, year-round, if you’re browsing the candy aisle, try looking for dark chocolate peanut butter cups for a brain boost.  

Your Eyes Can Reveal What’s In Your Brain

In March 2026, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus published the results of a study that reveals high-speed eye-tracking technology can detect lasting neurological damage from mild traumatic brain injuries. More so, it showed that the damage that can be detected may be completely invisible to MRI scans, CT imaging, and routine clinical exams. This matters enormously. Current standard concussion assessments are largely subjective and can result in patients being told they’ve recovered when their brains are still struggling.

At the CU’s Marcus Institute for Brain Health, researchers tested 78 military veterans and measured subtle disruptions in eye movement that expose hidden neural damage. The findings were sobering: deficits persisted 10 to 15 years after the original injury. As Dr. Jeffrey Hebert, who led the study, noted, “Even when someone feels recovered, their brain may still be working differently behind the scenes.” Funded by the Department of Defense, this technology offers something conventional medicine currently cannot – objective, documented proof of brain trauma.

Brain Injury Emerging as Signature Wound of Iran War

Traumatic brain injury has become the defining wound of America’s war with Iran, with U.S. officials confirming that more than 75% of the 303 service members wounded since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28 have suffered TBIs — the highest such ratio in U.S. military history. Approximately 50,000 American troops were already stationed across the Middle East when the conflict began, with thousands more since deployed.

The injuries are driven overwhelmingly by Iranian drone and missile strikes. When an Iranian drone struck a U.S. operations center at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port in early March, killing six Army Reserve soldiers, dozens more were hospitalized with brain trauma from invisible blast overpressure waves that damage tissue without leaving any external wound.

TBI was already labeled the “signature wound” of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, where the Department of Defense recorded over 518,000 military TBIs since 2000, peaking at 33,000 diagnoses in 2011 alone. The current TBI rate — roughly three times the Iraq-era figure — has alarmed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Joni Ernst warned that the injury “has become prevalent among hundreds of thousands of service members in recent years,” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren has called TBI research “the minimum that we owe” those who serve.

Man’s Best Friend Aids Brain Injury Recovery

Dogs are proving to be powerful partners in brain injury rehabilitation, offering benefits across physical, emotional, and speech therapy alike.

A March 2026 story from the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) system documented Alan Tay, a 71-year-old stroke survivor who credits his border collie Olay with driving his recovery. Working with a neurological physical therapist, Alan used dog agility training to rebuild endurance, coordination, and memory – ultimately winning a national canine competition just three months after his stroke. Emotionally, dogs combat the depression and isolation that frequently accompany brain injury. The above-mentioned UCHealth story also notes that Olay gave Alan the will to push through. An NIH-funded clinical trial confirmed that service dogs may meaningfully reduce PTSD symptoms in military members and veterans.

Dogs can assist with speech recovery, as well. Research shows that aphasia patients produce more verbal and nonverbal communication around therapy dogs, which respond to tone and gesture rather than specific words. Speech therapy in such a uniquely low-pressure and therapeutic environment is highly beneficial for language practice.

The bipartisan SAVES Act, which reached the Senate calendar in February 2026, would fund service dogs for veterans with TBI and PTSD. Introduced by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (TX) on April 2, 2025, H.R.2605 explicitly lists “Traumatic brain injury” as a covered condition, recognizing that a trained service dog can be “optimal for the veteran to manage the disability, condition, or diagnosis and live independently.” In March 2026, America’s VetDogs launched a national campaign during this Brain Injury Awareness Month that highlights service dogs’ life-changing impact for TBI survivors, particularly as it relates to counter-balance support and deep pressure therapy.

Bacterium in Your Lungs May Be Attacking Your Brain

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common respiratory bacterium responsible for millions of cases of pneumonia and sinus infections each year. Most people recover without incident, but a growing body of research suggests the bacterium doesn’t always leave. In a February 2026 study, published in Nature Communications, researchers at Cedars-Sinai found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can linger in the eye and brain for years, potentially aggravating Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists found that greater amounts of the bacterium were associated with more severe brain damage and worse cognitive decline, with elevated bacterial levels especially common in individuals carrying the APOE4 gene variant.

The mechanism is alarming. The bacterium can infect the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and reach the brain within 72 hours, while also dysregulating key pathways involved in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis.

The federal government has taken notice. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 spending bill proposed an increase of $100 million for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research at NIH National Institute on Aging. Researchers hope this increased funding hope will accelerate investigation into infection-driven neurodegeneration. What once seemed like an ordinary respiratory bug may prove to be one of the brain’s most dangerous long-term adversaries.

Family Trauma Means Mullin’s Mission Goes Beyond Political Party

As President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Senator Markwayne Mullin (OK) has been subject to an extremely contentious confirmation. However, previously, Mullin has worked with both Republicans and Democrats. Specific to this site, he has worked across party lines to pass bills that are very important and extremely dear to him, related to traumatic brain injury. Therefore, as a TBI survivor myself, I find it important to look back at his record, related to the topic:

In January 2020, Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s 15-year-old son was subject to a severe traumatic brain injury during a wrestling match. (Apparently, during his son’s most trying time, President Trump called almost daily and offered his personal plane. The President also later visited his son at the rehab center.) Rehabilitation, which professionals estimated would take years, was completed within 9 months and Mullin’s son is now in college.

Since the unfortunate incident, Senator Mullin has channeled his anguish and frustration into finding answers. His legislations related to TBI tend to focus on research funding and diagnostic standardization for brain injury. Only six months ago, the Senator earnestly reaffirmed his devotion to the issue when he stated, “That is why we must continue to bring awareness to this critical injury. I am honored to join my colleagues on this resolution to recognize Friday, September 19th, as National Concussion Awareness Day.”

Concrete examples of his bipartisan push forward for the brain injured community include S. 4755, Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2024, co-led with Senator Bob Casey (D). When that bill expired, Mullin reintroduced it as the TBI Program Reauthorization Act of 2025, S. 2898, on September 23, 2025, with co-sponsors Senators Andy Kim (D), John Cornyn (R), Alex Padilla (D), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D).  (The 2025 version expanded coverage to include all acquired brain injuries.)

(Devotion to issues that relate to brain injury do not represent the entirety of legislation introduced by Senator Mullin while he has been in the Senate. Additionally, this article is not a comment on Senator Mullin’s nomination to head the DHS.)