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Injury Guide

Concussion Settlement Amounts: What a Mild TBI Claim May Be Worth

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury — “mild” being a medical classification, not a description of how it feels. Concussion claims rise or fall on two things insurers cannot photograph: how long symptoms last, and how well the record documents them. This guide covers both, plus the moment a concussion claim becomes a post-concussion-syndrome claim.

Quick answer

Concussion settlements are driven by symptom duration and documented cognitive impact, not by scan findings — normal CT and MRI results are expected with concussion. Claims that resolve within weeks are commonly cited in the low five figures in published settlement literature; claims involving post-concussion syndrome (symptoms beyond three months) are reported substantially higher. The free calculator applies your own treatment numbers and your state’s rules.

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By the CaseValue.law Editorial TeamLast updated and source-checked July 20, 2026How we estimate

What drives the value: severity

Most injury settlements are negotiated from a simple frame: economic damages (medical bills plus lost wages, the “specials”) multiplied by a severity factor, then adjusted for fault-sharing and state rules. Our methodology uses severity bands of roughly 1.5x (minor), 2.5x (moderate), 4x (severe), and 6x (catastrophic), with case-specific modifiers layered on top. Here is what those bands mean for this injury specifically:

Minor (resolved within ~6 weeks)

Headache, fog, light sensitivity, or dizziness that clears with cognitive rest and a graduated return to normal activity. Little or no missed work beyond the first days.

Roughly the 1.5x band; few modifiers apply.

Moderate (6 weeks to 3 months)

Persistent headaches, concentration and memory complaints, sleep disruption, missed work. Follow-up care and therapy referrals (vestibular or vision) enter the record.

Roughly the 2.5x band; ongoing-treatment status supports the higher end.

Severe (post-concussion syndrome)

Symptoms documented beyond three months with formal diagnosis, neuropsychological testing, and therapy. Work capacity is measurably affected; future care becomes part of the claim.

Roughly the 4x band; permanent-injury arguments strengthen with time and testing.

Catastrophic (structural brain injury)

A brain bleed, skull fracture, or diffuse axonal injury is not a concussion claim — it is a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury with a different medical and legal track, valued around lifetime impact.

The 6x band with lifetime-care damages; get advice before any settlement talk.

Which best describes the injury?

Your own bills, wages, and recovery set the number. The free calculator applies the severity bands and your state’s rules in about two minutes.

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An invisible injury with a visible paper trail

Concussion is a clinical diagnosis: it is made from symptoms, mechanism, and examination — not from a picture. Emergency-room CT scans exist to rule out bleeding, and they are normal in the overwhelming majority of concussions. Insurers routinely treat that normal scan as evidence of no injury. Medically, it is nothing of the sort, and the claim record should say so plainly: diagnosis of concussion/mild TBI, documented mechanism, and symptom inventories at each visit.

The paper trail that prices a concussion claim is behavioral: standardized symptom checklists, work notes, therapy referrals, and — in persistent cases — neuropsychological testing, which measures memory, processing speed, and attention against norms. That testing is the closest thing an invisible injury has to an X-ray, and it is the anchor exhibit in serious concussion claims.

What sets the value of a concussion claim

  • Symptom duration

    The single biggest variable. Days-to-weeks recoveries resolve in the lower bands; symptoms crossing the three-month line reframe the claim entirely.

  • Cognitive and work impact

    Missed shifts, reduced hours, accommodations, and errors at work convert fog into countable damages — especially for cognitively demanding jobs, where the same injury costs more earning capacity.

  • The therapy footprint

    Vestibular therapy, vision therapy, and neuropsychological evaluation each add specials and document that the injury needed real treatment — the record insurers cannot wave away.

  • Loss of consciousness is NOT required

    Most concussions involve no blackout, and a concussion can occur without any head strike at all — whiplash-level acceleration is a documented mechanism. Do not let an adjuster treat “never lost consciousness” as a defense.

  • Prior concussions

    A history cuts both ways: prior injuries can make you more susceptible (compensable aggravation) while the defense argues apportionment. Disclose the history and let the medical record draw the line.

Post-concussion syndrome changes the claim

Most people recover from a concussion within weeks. A meaningful minority do not — commonly cited estimates in the clinical literature range from roughly one in ten to as high as one in three patients experiencing symptoms well past the expected window, depending on the population studied and the definition used. When symptoms persist past about three months, the diagnosis becomes post-concussion syndrome (PCS): persistent headaches, cognitive complaints, mood changes, and sleep disturbance.

For the claim, PCS is an inflection point. It moves the severity band, brings neuropsychological testing and future treatment into the damages picture, and makes early settlement offers — typically extended while you still expect a quick recovery — look exactly as premature as they are. If symptoms are approaching the three-month mark, do not resolve the claim before the diagnostic picture is complete.

Reported ranges and an illustrative example

Published settlement literature shows concussion outcomes tracking duration more than any other factor. Reported figures, not predictions:

  • Quick-recovery concussions

    Claims that resolve within weeks are commonly cited in the low five figures, dominated by ER costs, follow-up visits, and short work absences.

  • Persistent-symptom claims

    Where PCS is diagnosed and treated, reported outcomes rise substantially — published reporters include six-figure results where testing documents lasting cognitive impact on earnings.

  • What actually determines yours

    Specials times the severity band, adjusted for fault and your state’s rules — the same structure our calculator applies to your answers.

Illustrative example — not a prediction
Medical specials (ER + neurology follow-up + 10 vestibular sessions + neuropsych eval)
$9,700
Lost wages (3 weeks reduced schedule)
$3,000
Economic damages (specials)
$12,700
Severity band applied
Moderate (≈2.5x)
Illustrative claim frame
≈ $31,750

Comparative fault, no-fault thresholds, and policy limits adjust the frame — and a PCS diagnosis would rebuild it around a higher band with future care included.

After a head injury: the claim-safe checklist

  1. 1

    Get evaluated the same day

    Even for “just a bump.” The visit documents the mechanism and creates the baseline every later symptom connects back to.

  2. 2

    Follow return-to-activity guidance in writing

    Cognitive rest and graduated return protocols are standard care. Following them — and having the record show it — defeats the argument that you made yourself worse.

  3. 3

    Track symptoms daily

    Headaches, fog, light sensitivity, sleep, mood, screen tolerance. A dated journal turns an invisible injury into a documented one.

  4. 4

    Push for referrals if symptoms persist past four weeks

    Vestibular therapy, vision therapy, or neurology. Persistent symptoms without escalating care read as either recovery or neglect — neither helps you or your claim.

  5. 5

    Tell your employer in writing

    Accommodation requests and reduced-duty notes create the earnings-impact record. If the injury happened at work, written notice is also a comp-claim deadline in most states.

  6. 6

    Check your deadline before negotiating

    Two to three years in most states, shorter in some — and much shorter for government-entity claims. The state module below shows yours.

Your state changes the rules

Concussion claims answer to your state’s filing deadline — and in no-fault states, to whether the injury crosses the serious-injury threshold for pain and suffering. Pick your state to see the rules.

Car Accident claims: the national picture

  • Filing deadlines range from 1 to 6 years by state (average 2.7)
  • 12 states use no-fault auto insurance, which changes when you can claim pain and suffering

Workers' Compensation claims: the national picture

  • Filing deadlines range from 0.25 to 6 years by state (average 1.8)
  • Typical wage-replacement rate is about 68% of your average weekly wage
  • State maximum weekly benefits average about $1,243, but vary widely

Popular state guides

CaliforniaTexasFloridaNew YorkPennsylvaniaIllinoisOhioGeorgiaAll states →

Which case type is your potential case?

The same situation runs through different legal lanes depending on how it happened — and the lane changes what you can recover.

Car Accident →

Most concussion claims come from crashes — including without any head strike, since whiplash-level acceleration alone can concuss. No-fault thresholds may apply.

Premises Liability →

Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury overall per CDC surveillance. Property-owner negligence and comparative fault rules govern.

Workers' Compensation →

Head injuries on the job run through workers’ comp — report in writing immediately; benefits cover medical and wage replacement without proving fault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep reading

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Why insurers discount neck injuries, the WAD severity grades, and what moves an uncomplicated claim into a bigger one.

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Broken Bone Settlement Amounts

A bone-by-bone guide: wrist to femur, why surgical hardware changes the claim class, and the fractures that settle highest.

Legal guide

Workers' Comp Settlement Chart by Body Part

How weekly rates, impairment ratings, and scheduled losses actually combine, body part by body part, with your state’s real numbers.

Sources & review

Information on this page reflects laws and published figures as of 2026-07-20. This is general information, not legal or medical advice, and not a prediction for any potential case. Verify current rules with a licensed attorney before making decisions. Learn about our methodology.

See what your potential case may be worth

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