Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1992

Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1992 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to conduct a study concerning traumatic brain injury.

Requires the study to seek to: (1) determine the major causes of traumatic brain injury; (2) identify common therapeutic interventions which are used for the rehabilitation of individuals with traumatic brain injuries; (3) determine the preventive efforts that are being used by States and non-profit agencies to reduce the occurrence of such injuries; (4) identify effective treatment and long-term rehabilitation services needed to meet the needs of individuals with traumatic brain injuries; (5) develop practice guidelines for the treatment of traumatic brain injury; and (6) determine whether there is a need for national standards for helmets used by bicyclists and others.

Requires the results of such study to be reported to the Congress not later than three years after enactment of this Act.

Requires the Secretary to biennially prepare a report containing recommendations for the prevention of traumatic brain injuries, including identifying States that have mandated helmet laws for bicyclists and others. Requires such report to be disseminated to State health officers.

Makes the Director responsible for gathering data concerning the number of individuals surviving traumatic brain injury and regarding the cost of such injuries. Requires the Director to establish a uniform reporting system under which hospitals and State and local health-related agencies will report on matters including: (1) the occurrence of traumatic brain injuries; (2) the amount of traumatic brain injury research, training, and services; (3) the identification of States and localities that have approved mandated helmet use laws; and (4) the health insurance status of individuals with such injuries. Requires the reporting system to permit the Director to make an accurate assessment of resource needs, provide a basis for the allocation of resources, and track survivors of traumatic brain injury from the provision of initial health care through long-term rehabilitation.

Directs the Director to determine which Federal, State, local or other entities collect data on traumatic brain injury and the means by which such entities collect the data. Authorizes the Director to enter into cooperative agreements with other agencies, and to provide assistance to other entities with responsibility for data collection, to establish traumatic brain injury as a specific reportable condition in existing and future reporting systems.

Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to State and local entities, and to public or non-profit private entities, to support: (1) special prevention and public awareness initiative projects; (2) model traumatic brain injury prevention, research and support programs; (3) projects that study the service needs of individuals with traumatic brain injury; and (4) projects involving grants for service coordination.

Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to public and private nonprofit entities to reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury through the establishment and effectuation of prevention projects. Sets forth eligibility requirements. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, to provide assistance to public and private nonprofit entities to support the conduct of basic and applied research concerning traumatic brain injury, especially with respect to the biomechanics of brain injury, the molecular and cellular characteristics of primary and secondary injury to the brain and the development of improved experimental brain injury models. Specifies the research to be conducted.

Directs the Secretary to award grants to States for the establishment of Statewide protection and advocacy demonstration projects for individuals affected by traumatic brain injury. Sets forth eligibility requirements.

Requires each State that receives assistance under this Act to establish a consumer-controlled advisory board within the Department of Health or Human Services of the State or within another department as designated by the chief executive officer of the State. Directs an advisory board to coordinate communications with and between Federal, State and local agencies, citizen's groups, private industry and labor and nonprofit organizations and to encourage citizen participation through public hearings and other types of community outreach programs.

Requires each State to establish a services coordination program to identify the services required to prevent the institutionalization or to minimize the need for residential rehabilitation in the case of traumatic brain injuries. Sets forth the requirements for such program.

Authorizes appropriations to carry out provisions of this Act for FY 1993 through 1995.

Designates October 1992 as National Head Injury Month.