Abstract:
Although the overall acute medical costs of TBI are generally known (Rehabilitation of Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury, 1998), the long term personal costs of TBI in lost wages, as well as the societal costs in terms of increased government assistance, are not well known. Only with such financial information can we accurately determine the cost-benefit of specific rehabilitation programs, and subsequently the most appropriate resource allocation. The current study obtained information about the financial status (i.e., earned wages, level of government financial assistance) of 45 individuals with who were participants in the national TBI Model System Centers.