The objective of this study was to evaluate and recommend improvements to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Federal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program.  Congress established the TBI program in 1996 in an effort to assure better care of persons with TBI. TBIs are brain injuries that result from blunt or penetrating trauma to the brain.

The Federal TBI program was created by the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-166) and was later re-authorized as Title XIII of the Children's Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310).  The legislation provides for state-based grant programs charged with improving service delivery, establishing policy, and securing the financial support to bring about lasting systems change in the care of persons with TBI.  HRSA is the designated granting agency for the state programs.

The charge to the IOM Committee on Traumatic Brain Injury was to evaluate and recommend improvements to the Federal TBI Program. The final report, Evaluating the HRSA Traumatic Brain Injury Program, was released in March 2006.