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Coastal Authority Care Foundation (CACF), based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of veterans affected by service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and Operator Syndrome. Founded in December 2015, CACF raises awareness of innovative treatment options, coordinates access to care, and provides grant funding to help veterans access evidence-based therapies that may not be available or fully covered through the VA or traditional insurance.

CACF serves as a resource and funding partner, helping veterans navigate treatment options and connect with qualified clinical providers offering research-supported, non-invasive therapies. CACF does not diagnose, prescribe, recommend a specific course of treatment, or provide medical care. Clinical evaluations and treatment decisions are made by licensed providers based on each veteran's medical history, clinical presentation, and individual needs.

CACF works in tandem with these providers to coordinate access and fund treatment once the treating provider determines that a therapy is medically appropriate and safe. This collaborative model allows clinicians to focus on evaluating and treating patients while CACF focuses on fundraising, financial assistance, care coordination, and removing barriers to access. CACF also collaborates with other benevolent organizations to leverage resources, share funding responsibilities when appropriate, and expand access to care.

Therapies Supported Through CACF Funding

CACF grant funding supports evidence-based and research-supported therapies intended to address neurological and physiological effects associated with brain injury and trauma rather than focusing solely on symptom management. Depending on the therapy and individual patient, treatment supports improvements in areas such as brain function, sleep, cognition, emotional regulation, pain, inflammation, and other persistent symptoms associated with TBI and PTS.

Grant-funded modalities primarily include hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy (MeRT), vibroacoustic therapy (VAT), and photobiomodulation (PBM). All medical clearances, prescriptions, treatment protocols, and clinical decisions are the responsibility of the treating provider.

Veteran Brain Health and Recovery Program

CACF approaches suicide prevention by helping address brain-health conditions and symptoms associated with increased suicide risk among veterans, including TBI, PTS, chronic pain, sleep disruption, and emotional dysregulation. The therapies CACF funds are intended to support brain health, regulation, function, and recovery rather than simply manage symptoms.

By taking on fundraising and funding coordination, CACF enables its clinical partners to focus their time and resources on patient care rather than having to raise charitable funds to provide treatment.

• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) involves breathing medical-grade oxygen in a pressurized chamber under appropriate medical supervision. CACF partners with qualified providers using hard-shell, medical-grade hyperbaric chambers. Research has examined HBOT's effects on inflammation, blood flow, tissue repair, and neuroplasticity, and clinical studies involving individuals with TBI and PTSD have reported improvements in areas including post-traumatic stress symptoms, cognitive function, sleep, and quality of life. Treatment protocols are determined by the treating physician. For veterans receiving CACF-funded HBOT for TBI and PTS, a course may include approximately 40 sessions over eight weeks. Providers use neurocognitive assessments and patient-reported outcomes to evaluate progress. Link: Tier 1 Therapy Centers, Norfolk, VA
• Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy (MeRT) is an individualized approach that incorporates EEG data with transcranial magnetic stimulation technology. The treating provider uses the patient's brain activity and clinical evaluation to develop and adjust the treatment protocol. Clinical work has explored its use in individuals experiencing symptoms associated with PTSD, TBI, sleep disturbances, and mood disorders. A typical course supported by CACF may include approximately 30 sessions over six weeks. The provider tracks patient progress using EEG data and standardized cognitive and mental-health assessments before, during, and after treatment. According to clinical observations, patients typically experience improvements in areas including sleep, mood, irritability, cognition, memory, focus, concentration, and motivation.  Link: NEUCOA, Virginia Beach, VA 
• Vibroacoustic and Light Therapy combines sound, vibration, and light in a non-invasive therapeutic setting intended to support nervous-system regulation, relaxation, sleep, and emotional regulation. Treatment protocols and frequency are determined by the provider based on the individual's needs. A typical CACF-supported course may include approximately 16 sessions delivered two to three times per week over consecutive weeks. https://tier1tc.com/therapy/flyt

For veterans living with TBI and PTS, improvements in sleep, cognition, emotional regulation, pain, and overall brain health may address factors associated with psychological distress and suicide risk. CACF therefore views brain health as an important component of a broader suicide-prevention strategy that also includes appropriate mental-health and medical care.

To CACF's knowledge, no veteran who has received CACF-funded treatment has subsequently died by suicide. This is an observational outcome within the population CACF has supported and should not be interpreted as evidence that CACF-funded therapies prevent suicide.

By combining awareness, care coordination, collaborative partnerships, and financial assistance, CACF helps remove barriers to specialized care. Qualified clinical providers evaluate and treat veterans, while CACF helps make that care financially and logistically accessible.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants for CACF grants are veterans with service-connected injuries who meet program criteria and are seeking treatment through an approved provider. Because some of the specialized therapies CACF supports are not widely available, veterans may need to travel to receive treatment. Click here to go to our Documents section to find the Veteran Brain Health & Recovery Program Application.

 Hampton Roads is home to one of the largest concentrations of military personnel and veterans in the United States. Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base, anchors a region that also includes Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story and East Coast–based Naval Special Warfare SEAL Teams and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group Two. The service members stationed here—and the veterans who remain in the region after their service—include individuals who have experienced years of high operational tempo, repeated deployments, blast exposure, physical trauma, and psychological stress.
 

The Issue: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress (PTS) are significant health concerns among U.S. service members and veterans. More than two decades of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations exposed many service members to repeated physical and psychological trauma. According to Department of Defense data cited by VA Research, 535,544 service members sustained a TBI between 2000 and Q4 2025, with approximately 82% classified as mild TBI or concussion. Mild TBI can be particularly difficult to identify because structural imaging may appear normal even when a person continues to experience significant symptoms. (VA Research)
 

TBI can result from blast exposure, falls, vehicle accidents, repeated exposure to gunfire, and other impacts or forces that disrupt normal brain function. Persistent symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbances, memory and concentration problems, tinnitus, vision problems, irritability, emotional dysregulation, depression, and anxiety. These symptoms can significantly affect a veteran's ability to work, maintain relationships, function independently, and enjoy a healthy quality of life.

Brain health is also an important consideration in veteran suicide prevention. Research has identified TBI, PTS, chronic pain, sleep disruption, depression, and other behavioral and neurological health conditions as factors associated with increased suicide risk. Studies have found an association between TBI and increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with repeated brain injuries presenting additional concern.
 

Special Operations Forces may face heightened risks due to the cumulative effects of repeated deployments, blast exposure, traumatic brain injury, chronic stress, sleep disruption, and the sustained demands of high-tempo operational service. A summary of a USSOCOM psychological autopsy study, published by Special Operations Association of America, examines suicide within the Special Operations community and highlights the complex and often interconnected factors that may contribute to suicide risk among this population. 

These cumulative effects are increasingly discussed within the framework of Operator Syndrome, a term developed by Dr. Chris Frueh and colleagues to describe a constellation of interconnected physical, neurological, psychological, and social challenges observed among some Special Operations Forces personnel after years of sustained high-intensity service.
 

Operator Syndrome recognizes that the challenges experienced by some operators may extend beyond PTSD alone. Repeated blast and head trauma, disrupted sleep, chronic pain, prolonged stress, endocrine and neurological changes, moral injury, and the transition from an intensely mission-focused career can interact in complex ways. Veterans may experience irritability, isolation, memory and concentration problems, depression, sleep difficulties, strained relationships, and loss of purpose.

Understanding these interconnected factors helps shift the conversation from treating individual symptoms in isolation toward considering the veteran's overall brain health, physical health, mental health, and quality of life. Learn more about Operator Syndrome or listen to the MOPs and MOEs podcast.

The complex and often long-term effects of TBI, PTS, and Operator Syndrome demonstrate why access to appropriate brain-health care is so important for veterans and their families in the fight against suicide. Yet specialized treatment options may be difficult to identify, access, or afford, leaving gaps between veterans who need care and the providers equipped to help them. 

This is where CACF helps bridge the gap. CACF connects veterans with qualified clinical providers and provides financial and logistical support for evidence-based and research-supported therapies. Clinical providers—not CACF—evaluate each veteran and determine whether a particular therapy is medically appropriate and safe. By addressing barriers to specialized care, CACF seeks to improve access to therapies that support brain health, function, recovery, and overall quality of life.

Geographic Area Served: CACF serves veterans throughout the United States. Many of the veterans we support live in Virginia and receive treatment through providers in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach areas. However, CACF may support veterans residing in other states, and because these specialized therapies are not available in every community, some veterans may need to travel to receive treatment.