The Department of Veterans Affairs has approved new regulations to make it easier for veterans to receive health care and compensation for certain illnesses, including Parkinsonism, dementia, and depression, which have been linked to traumatic brain injury.

The final rules, which will be published on Tuesday in the Federal Register, also add to the list unprovoked seizures and hormone deficiency diseases related to the hypothalamus, pituitary or adrenal glands.

The new policy, which takes effect on Jan. 16, could pave the way for thousands of veterans to file claims. Since 2000, more than 287,000 active-duty service members and veterans have been found to have traumatic brain injuries, according to Defense Department figures. About 62,000 of those injuries have occurred since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, said the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Traumatic brain injury can result from exposure to blasts from a land mine or a roadside bomb, but it is more likely to be diagnosed in troops who were not deployed and were injured in vehicle crashes, training accidents or sports activities. More than 51,000 veterans are receiving benefits for service-related traumatic brain injuries.