Brain injuries are the hardest claims to see and the easiest to undersell: the ER scan is usually normal, the symptoms are subjective, and the injured person is often the last to notice their own deficits. The claims that get paid properly are the ones that convert 'I don't feel right' into documented, tested, witnessed evidence.
Reviewed August 24, 2026 · bands map to the disclosed methodologyBased on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice — every claim is different.
| Situation | Typical multiplier | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Concussion, full recovery in weeks | 2–3× | A brain injury is never a soft-tissue floor claim — but clean recovery caps the band. |
| Post-concussion syndrome, months of documented symptoms | 3–4× | Persistent headaches, cognitive fog, light sensitivity — documented visit by visit, with work impact. |
| Permanent cognitive deficits / moderate-severe TBI | 5–7× (catastrophic) | Neuropsych-documented permanent impairment — with earning-capacity and care damages dominating the economics. |
These bands are the same disclosed multiplier framework used across this site (methodology) — where a specific injury lands inside it is driven by documentation, permanence, and liability clarity, not by the label on the injury.
Emergency CT rules out bleeding, not brain injury: most concussions and many lasting TBIs image normally. The evidence that moves these claims is functional — neuropsychological testing (the TBI equivalent of the nerve claim's EMG), documented cognitive symptoms at every visit, and specialist care (neurology, concussion clinic) rather than a single ER discharge. If symptoms persist past a few weeks, push for the referral; an untested TBI claim settles as a headache claim.
TBI's cruelest feature is impaired self-awareness: the injured person reports 'fine' while their family watches personality, memory, and stamina change. Collateral statements — spouse, coworkers, supervisor — are recognized evidence in brain-injury claims, and the work record (errors, reduced hours, accommodations, a lost promotion) converts cognitive change into economic damages. Start both records early; memory of the change fades in everyone, including the witnesses.
Band math: a concussion with full recovery and $8,000 in specials supports roughly $16,000–$24,000 (2–3×); documented post-concussion syndrome pushes 3–4×; permanent deficits move into the catastrophic band where testing and earning-capacity evidence drive the number. The calculator prints your arithmetic.
Potentially yes: normal structural imaging is the norm in concussion and mild TBI. The claim is proven functionally — neuropsychological testing, consistent symptom documentation, and specialist diagnosis — not by the ER scan.
It matters enormously, and it's characteristic of brain injury. Get evaluated — impaired self-awareness is a symptom, not reassurance — and have the people who see the change document it. Their statements plus testing are how 'different' becomes evidence.