Acquired Brain Injury and work
An acquired brain injury can significantly affect a person's cognitive, physical and emotional functioning. If it has changed your ability to work, you may have TPD insurance through your superannuation.
An acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain occurring at some point after birth, resulting from causes including traumatic injury, stroke, infection, lack of oxygen, tumours, toxic exposure and other medical conditions. An ABI can affect people in very different ways.
Work capacity
Some effects may be immediately obvious. Others can be subtle and become more apparent when a person attempts to return to work.
James sustained an acquired brain injury following a workplace fall. He was told his cognitive symptoms weren't "visible enough" to support a claim. Thrive Claims coordinated neuropsychological testing that clearly documented his functional decline, and his TPD claim was successfully approved.
Work capacity
Employment often requires much more than physical ability. A person may be physically capable of returning to a workplace but struggle with:
A TPD assessment may consider the combined effect of physical, cognitive and psychological impairments. The nature, severity and cognitive functioning involved, physical restrictions and communication ability, behavioural changes and rehabilitation, and how occupation, prognosis and the applicable policy definition all relate to your circumstances.
Some brain injury symptoms aren't immediately visible. A person may appear physically recovered while experiencing substantial difficulties with memory, concentration, processing speed, planning, executive functioning and fatigue, making returning to work particularly challenging. Neuropsychological and functional assessments may help document these difficulties.
Rehabilitation can involve neurologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, neuropsychologists and rehabilitation specialists, depending on the person's needs.
Yes, potentially. Having an ABI does not automatically establish a TPD claim, but permanent cognitive, physical or behavioural limitations can have a substantial effect on employment. Evidence may include hospital records, brain imaging, neurological and neuropsychological reports, occupational therapy and speech pathology reports, rehabilitation records, work capacity assessments and employment records. See TPD Medical Evidence →
Brain injuries can make it difficult to understand what your future working capacity will look like. If an acquired brain injury has affected your memory, concentration, behaviour, communication or physical functioning, Thrive Claims can investigate whether you have TPD insurance through your superannuation.
Questions, answered
Straight answers about acquired brain injury, work capacity and TPD claims, written in plain English.
After an acquired brain injury, changes to memory, concentration, fatigue and judgement can make returning to your previous role unrealistic, and TPD claims may be worth exploring. Our superannuation claims support can help you identify the insurance attached to your fund. An income protection claim may also apply while your recovery is assessed, and if you held several accounts before the injury, claims across multiple superannuation funds may be possible. You can see how these pathways connect on our services page.
A brain injury may result from a fall, an assault, a lack of oxygen, an infection or a workplace incident. Total & Permanent Disability (TPD) claims eligibility turns on your policy terms and your capacity to work, not simply on whether the injury happened on the job. Many brain injury claims involve both physical injury or illness and mental health injury or illness, as cognitive and emotional changes often develop together.
If your brain injury contributes to receiving the Disability Support Pension (DSP) or support as an NDIS participant, your superannuation insurance may deserve a closer look. Neither payment confirms Total & Permanent Disability (TPD) claims eligibility on its own, but it may have valid basis. Where the injury followed a motor vehicle accident, Thrive Claims can talk you through which claims may sit alongside each other.
Specialist claim pathways
Australia wide support
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Start with a free assessment of your circumstances and any TPD cover held through superannuation.