Brain Injury Association of America

BIAA exists to help people recover, improve their quality of life, and find cures for brain injury.

Our strategic goals include:
1. Improving care and support for individuals with brain injury and their families.
2. Increasing awareness and understanding of brain injury and the Brain Injury Association.
3. Accelerating research for treatments and cures.

Improving care and support for individuals with brain injury and their families.
• Deliver training and education to elevate the quality of care for individuals with brain injury.
• Increase the number of healthcare professionals and community members who are capable of serving individuals with brain injury and their families.
• Support federal legislative and regulatory proposals that strengthen and oppose those that impede access to care for individuals with brain injury and their families.
• Advocate for brain injury-specific initiatives at the federal level.
• Assist affiliates with state-level advocacy issues.

Increasing awareness and understanding of brain injury and the Brain Injury Association.
• Increase awareness and understanding of brain injury among policymakers, opinion leaders, and the general public.
• Develop and disseminate educational materials on brain injury to the general public.

Accelerating research for treatments and cures.
• Award grants in accordance with research priorities established by the Board of Directors using recognized best practices.
• Support research efforts across the brain injury community.

BIAA is the oldest and largest brain injury advocacy organization, inclusive of a nationwide network of chartered state affiliates, chapters, and support groups. BIAA’s strengths include award-winning information, education, and certification programs for individuals with brain injury, family members, and the brain injury specialists who care for them.

BIAA’s Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists (ACBIS) is the largest and most respected national program providing education, training, certification, and ongoing resources for multi-disciplinary specialists in the brain injury community.

The Association has high credibility among key federal policymakers and strong relationships with Washington-based health and disability organizations. BIAA has an exceptionally loyal and engaged consumer base: 96% of program participants plan to use Association services and programs in the future and 94% are willing to recommend the Association to a friend or colleague.

By acting as a clearinghouse of information and resources, initiating public policy change, promoting awareness and injury prevention, and hosting educational programs, the Brain Injury Association of America is the voice brain injury, offering help, hope and healing to millions of brain injury survivors across the nation, their families and the researchers, clinicians and professionals who provide treatment and long-term care.

Since its inception, BIAA has:
• Provided individualized assistance to more than 1.2 million people who contact our information center for help.
• Certified more than 20,000 professionals as brain injury specialists
• Lead the nation in organizing, observing and celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month in March engaging millions in the cause over the past 30 years.
• Established the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, the bi-partisan, bi-cameral caucus of senators and representatives committed to the brain injury field.
• Four decades of public policy achievement in the U.S. Congress and among multiple Federal and State agencies including: the 1987 establishment of the TBI Model Systems of Care; 1990 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; 1996 Traumatic Brain Injury Act and its subsequent reauthorizations over the last 20 years as well as key provisions for service members with TBI in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act and a remarkable victory for brain injury recovery through the inclusion of rehabilitation as an essential health benefit in the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
• Working in partnership with its affiliates and other collaborators, BIAA has been a driving force behind the enactment of sports concussion and safe return to play/law laws in every state in the nation.

What’s Next for Your Organization
Our bold plan for the future includes investment in the following priorities:

Extend BIAA’s reach
When it comes to recovery after brain injury, getting the right information at the right time is critical. The speed at which patients and their families can make well-informed medical decisions is directly related to the quality of their recovery. BIAA must expand services to reach more people, in more places, and in more ways.

Expand specialized training
Providing up-to-date training and education to the many professionals and family members responsible for the direct care of people living with a brain injury requires state-of-the-art curriculum, custom content, and the ability to connect in a variety of settings. BIAA must also be able to provide help to those in communities where access to a brain injury specialist is currently out of reach.

Amplify the voice of the brain injury community
BIAA advocates on behalf of millions of Americans demanding greater access to care, expanded brain injury research, adequate resources for state programs, and increased congressional awareness of brain injury issues. BIAA’s efforts have greatly influenced what resources currently exist for brain injury rehabilitation. We need your help to build on this successful history and increase resources for all living with brain injury.

Invest in new lines of research
The need to better understand brain injury, the impact it has as a chronic disease, and its role in causing other conditions has never been greater. BIAA is leading the way by investing in projects with potential for cures while