The DHA and VA Are Betting on Immersive Technology. So Are We.

Reviewed by Marc Ó Gríofa, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Neurova Labs

In late July, the Defense Health Agency published Immersive Tech, Maximum Readiness, a look at a joint demonstration with the Veterans Health Administration at the Washington DC VA Medical Center. The two agencies showed virtual, augmented, and mixed reality tools that help service members and veterans manage pain, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction.

The agencies framed immersive technology as a readiness tool, one that can help personnel recover and return to duty faster while generating biometric data to guide future development.

What does the DHA and VA demonstration mean for immersive technology?

It means immersive technology has arrived as a category, because the two largest health systems serving the military community demonstrated it together. For years, immersive technology in health settings lived in pilot projects and research labs. We take the demonstration as a signal for everyone building in this space. The bar is now evidence, scale, and ease of use.

What is neuro-immersive training?

Neuro-immersive training is facilitator-led brain training delivered in adaptive virtual environments, and Neurova Labs built Neurova Academy as the first neuro-immersive training platform for real-world cognitive performance. Neuroscientists and AAA game development veterans built it in-house, and its adaptive environments target 27 distinct brain regions spanning memory, attention, language, reasoning, and executive function.

Three things set it apart:

• One configurable environment. The same platform adjusts scenario parameters to fit a soldier, a firefighter, an athlete, or a community member.

• Facilitator-led delivery. Certified facilitators run every session, with certification delivered remotely.

• Measurement built in. Program development was guided by fNIRS and fNCI, and organizations can add an optional 22-marker RNA blood panel through iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory.

Sessions run about thirty minutes. Each one moves from physical activation through rising cognitive challenge, then ends with guided box breathing, binaural audio cueing, and a deliberate downshift.

Can brain training follow service members home?

Yes. Readiness follows people home, and service members return to towns, families, and neighborhood gyms. That is why we teamed up with the YMCA of Orange County on Brain+, a well-being program built with our neurotechnology. Two community cohort studies ran at two Southern California branches in June and July 2026. One hundred participants enrolled, 62 percent entered with a high trauma burden, and 84 percent completed the full 30-day assessment.

• 28 percent average improvement in trauma symptom scores on the PCL-5 (29.1 to 21.0, p < 0.001)

• 24 percent average improvement in psychological distress on the Kessler-6 (14.0 to 10.6, p < 0.001)

• 22 percent average improvement in sleep quality, from daily diaries and wearable data

• 96 percent said they would recommend the program

These are observational findings, and they come from a community setting that looks a lot like the places veterans live their lives.

Our vision is a continuum: the same kind of brain training available on a base, in a community clinic, and at the local Y, so service members and their families can keep training wherever life takes them. The DHA and VA have shown that immersive technology belongs in that picture. We intend to help build it.

To bring Neurova Academy to your unit, clinic, or community, visit neurovalabs.com.

About Neurova Labs

Neurova Labs is a veteran-led neurotechnology company based in Salt Lake City. Its program, Neurova Academy, is a facilitator-led neuro-immersive brain training program designed to support focus, stress regulation, and mental endurance, with no clinical infrastructure required. Programs can add an optional 22-marker panel measuring RNA gene expression from whole blood, processed by iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory. Neurova Labs works with military units, first responder agencies, clinics, and community organizations. Learn more at neurovalabs.com.

Neurova Academy is a general wellness and cognitive training program. It is not a medical device and is not offered to diagnose, treat, cure, or mitigate any disease or condition, including concussion, traumatic brain injury, or CTE. References to news reporting, government publications, and published research are for commentary only and do not imply endorsement of Neurova Labs by any federal entity or research institution.