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Coping with Mild TBI: Finances Diane Roberts Stoler, EdD, and Barbara Albers Hill, Avery, Penguin Group (page 5 of 5) Page 5 of 5

• Be organized. Keep a daily diary, beginning with the events that led to your injury. Keep all your medical records in one file, and create another file for records regarding you accident. List names of witnesses, emergency personnel, and doctors, and keep detailed notes about your symptoms. If necessary, ask a friend or family member for assistance with this.
• Document all telephone conversations relating to your accident by keeping a log. Include the date and time of each conversation, the name of the individual you spoke to, and a summary of your conversation.
• If you hire a lawyer to help you secure compensation for your injury, send him or her copies of your telephone log and all written correspondence relating to your accident and its aftermath. If your lawyer does the paperwork, keep notes of (or tape-record, with permission) your conversations with him or her.
• Find a good mental health therapist who has had experience with MTBI. If you're your health and recovery begins to be affected by your experiences with healthcare providers, insurance companies, and government agencies, talk to your therapist about this.
• If strained finances prevent you from locating a mental health therapist, contact your local brain injury association or a nearby hospital's mental health clinic for assistance.
• Seek out a support group. Call the Brain Injury Association (BIA) to see whether there is an MTBI group in your area. Also find out whether the BIA can put you in touch with an advocate to assist you with money issues.
• If you have access to a computer, explore online chat lines and bulletin boards. Discussing your problems with other people with MTBI can be extremely helpful. If you do not own a computer, check to see if your local public library has available for patron's computers with online capability.

Some people with MTBI may neither have insurance nor qualify for government compensation or assistance programs. It may be that you employer does not offer health insurance or other benefits, or perhaps you are self-employed and you cannot or choose not to buy disability or medical insurance on your own because it simply costs too much. You may have lost your job after suffering an MTBI, and with it, your insurance — just when you needed it most. Or you may be able to work part-time, but even though you do not qualify for government assistance. Meanwhile, your household and medical bills continue to pile up. While a long-term solution may seem elusive, there are a few options to consider in these circumstances:

• Switch roles with your spouse. If you are the breadwinner, discuss the possibility of your souse taking on more hours or, perhaps, a second job.
• Change your lifestyle. Do what you can to prevent your household bills from becoming unmanageable, including selling your home or other assets if necessary. If needed, ask a trusted family member or friend to do an overall budget inventory to see what you are actually spending on things. Then you can discuss ways to scale back your spending and develop a reasonable budget to live on.
• Be honest about your situation with creditors, doctors, and your landlord or mortgage banker. You may be able to negotiate payment plans that are easier to meet.
• Allow friends and family to help. Doing so can be embarrassing but accepting heartfelt assistance can help you through a very difficult time.
• Consider living with your parents, in-laws, or other willing relatives for an established period of time.
• If your children require assistance, contact your local mental health facility about free counseling and other services in your area.
• Contact your state chapter of the Brain Injury Association. Laws are always changing, and new options for financial assistance may become open to you. In addition to providing advocacy and other services, the BIA monitors such developments.
• Check with religious organizations in your community about funds and services available to people in need. They may offer or know of sources of basic necessities such as food and clothing at no or reduced cost.
• Ask your doctor or advocate about programs for obtaining prescription medications at reduced prices. Some pharmaceutical manufacturers offer such benefits to qualified persons.
• If you need a lawyer, check with your local and state government about free legal services available to people who qualify. Also, some attorneys dedicate a certain amount of their time to offering free, or pro bono, legal services. In some situations, these arrangements may not be necessary, since legal fees are usually collected as part of a settlement.
• Consult your bank about services that can advise you about managing your money and obtaining credit while you recover.
• If your financial situation is truly unmanageable, consider filing for personal bankruptcy. This decision should probably be considered a last resort, and it should be made with great care and under an attorney's guidance. However, bankruptcy can sometimes be the right choice, particularly if your debt is overwhelming.

Financial concerns are a very real part of coping with MTBI. The way money issues are dealt with can dramatically affect your final outcome. Not only do you need money for daily living expenses, but after MTBI, you are likely to need money to finance a rehabilitation process that can last for some time — in some cases, for years. It is not always easy to navigate the maze of red tape and paperwork required, but help is available to most people with MTBI through commercial insurance, health insurance, government assistance, workers' compensation, and victims' compensation. When coping with monetary difficulties, it helps to remember that you are not alone. Consult with trusted family members or friends, an attorney with expertise in MTBI, and/or your local brain injury association, and allow yourself to accept their advice and assistance.

From Coping with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury by Diane Roberts Stoler, EdD, and Barbara Albers Hill, published by Avery, the Penguin Group. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. http://us.penguingroup.com. Dr. Diane Roberts Stoler can be contacted via her website: http://www.drdiane.com/.

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