Brain Injury Claims: Factors That Affect Value
A brain-injury claim review needs a dated picture of what changed, not a single scan or label. CDC says mild traumatic brain injury symptoms can appear later and can affect thinking, mood, sleep and physical function; many people improve, while some need additional follow-up. Seek medical care for a suspected injury and urgent care for danger signs. For claim documentation, compare pre-event work or school function with specific changes, preserve the clinician’s instructions, and mark any long-term need as a question until a qualified provider addresses it.
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Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
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This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Ask a prospective lawyer how they would compare the medical chronology, independent work or school records and observations from people who know the person. Testing may be useful when ordered by a provider, but an image or neuropsychological score alone does not establish accident causation, permanence or future cost. Ask who would evaluate those unresolved points and whether any proposed release is being reviewed with them in mind.
Consultation worksheet
Brain-injury function and follow-up worksheet
Do not enter identifying health information on this page. Record observed changes and their sources. Only a qualified clinician can diagnose the condition or recommend testing and care.
There is no submit or save action. Copy your notes before leaving this page.
What work, school, household or social task is the comparison point, and what dated record supports the baseline?
What specific attention, memory, mood, sleep, balance or other change occurred, on which dates, and who observed it?
Which visit, instruction, referral or ordered test addresses the symptom? What did the clinician actually conclude?
Which missed shift, task, accommodation, transport or caregiving change has an independent record?
Which symptom or support need is ongoing, which provider will assess it, and is a future cost recommended or only hypothetical?
Sources for this guide
- CDC: Symptoms of mild TBI and concussion
Official symptom, change-over-time and emergency danger-sign guidance.
- CDC: What to do after a mild TBI or concussion
Official medical follow-up and clinician-guided return-to-activity guidance; recovery varies.
- Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (2026), CACI 3903A, 3903C, 3903D and 3905A
Official instructions distinguish medical expense, earnings, earning capacity and noneconomic loss categories.
- California Evidence Code section 720
Expert opinions require qualifications relevant to the subject; a proposed prognosis is not established by a worksheet.
What to Do Next
- 1Get a medical assessment for a suspected head injury; follow the clinician’s individualized return-to-activity instructions and seek emergency help for CDC danger signs.
- 2Build a symptom timeline noting onset, frequency and changes in attention, memory, sleep, balance or mood, using factual examples rather than diagnostic labels.
- 3Gather pre- and post-event work, school or daily-function records and ask family or coworkers to describe specific observations with dates, not conclusions about the injury.
- 4Separate completed care, ordered tests and documented restrictions from proposed future care. Ask a qualified clinician what is medically expected and why.
Evidence Checklist
- Emergency and follow-up visit notes, discharge instructions and referrals
- Imaging or neuropsychological reports only when actually ordered, with the interpreting clinician’s explanation
- Before-and-after attendance, task, accommodation or performance records from work or school
- Dated observations from the injured person and others about discrete changes in daily function
- Bills, paid amounts, work records and any written provider recommendation for continuing care
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating “mild” as proof that every person recovers on the same schedule, or as proof of permanent impairment
- Assuming a normal scan excludes all symptoms or that an abnormal test by itself proves the collision caused them
- Counting a possible lifelong care plan before a clinician has identified expected care and its basis
- Delaying follow-up for worsening symptoms or CDC danger signs because the claim paperwork is incomplete
How the Process Typically Works
Clinical assessment
Record the event, observed symptoms, medical evaluation and safety or return-to-activity instructions.
Functional comparison
Gather baseline and later work, school and home examples that show what changed and when.
Future questions
Ask providers about expected recovery and care; identify which long-term claims remain uncertain before reviewing an offer.
Damages Questions to Discuss with Counsel
- •Which past expenses are supported by records and legally recoverable?
- •What qualified evidence supports future care or work limitations?
- •Which losses are disputed, and what additional documentation would clarify them?
- •Are other people’s claims or obligations separate from this claim?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can symptoms appear after the initial visit?
CDC says some mild TBI symptoms can appear hours or days later and may change during recovery. Tell a healthcare provider about new or worsening symptoms; follow CDC emergency advice for danger signs.
Does a scan or test determine claim value?
No. A clinician interprets tests in the full medical history. The legal review also considers proven work, care and daily-life effects, causation, fault and other disputed facts.
How should family observations be recorded?
Ask an observer to note the date and a concrete difference in a task or behavior they actually saw. Avoid a diagnosis, a guess about permanence or copied statements from another witness.
Should a claim assume lifetime care?
No. Keep future treatment as an open question until a qualified provider explains what care is expected, why and for how long; costs need their own support.
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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