Va Disability Rating For Migraines

Show That Your Headaches Or Migraines Affect Your Daily Life

You should show that your migraine headaches affect your abilities to work and lead a normal life. This means that your migraine headaches are not just a condition, but also a disability. To show this, you must be able to provide medical evidence that your migraine headaches are adversely affecting your daily life.

You can do this by logging your daily activities and seeing how your migraines affect them. You should also pay attention to how your migraines affect your mood and daily interactions with others. All of this should be logged in your Statement in Support of Claim . Based on the frequency and severity of your headaches, the rating criteria will be between 0% & 50%.

Va Disability Rating For Migraines

The VA migraine rating criteria revolves around the intensity and frequency of subsequent migraine attacks. Although migraines are fairly common and can be debilitating amongst veterans, the maximum schedular VA disability rating for migraines is 50%. It is possible to receive more compensation if you qualify for Individual Unemployability benefits, however, this means that your migraines are so severe you are incapable of finding and/or keeping work.

When deciding whether a veteran will receive a rating of 0%, 10%, 30%, or 50%, there are a few terms the VA looks for:

• Prostrating When the migraine causes extreme exhaustion or incapacitation with significant inability to engage in normal activities. Prostrating headaches often require a long period of rest to recover from.
• Completely prostrating The migraine causes extreme exhaustion that creates a total inability to perform normal activities.
• Very frequent The prostrating attacks have been less than one month apart over the last several months.
• Less frequent On average, the prostrating attacks are more than two months apart over the last several months.
• Severe economic inadaptability This term denotes a degree of occupational impairment. The individual may still be able to perform work, but they take sick leave or unpaid absence for their condition.

Mention of a prostrating migraine can significantly increase the chances of receiving benefits from a VA disability claim for migraines.

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How Is Service Connection Established For Migraine Headaches

One of the most challenging parts of receiving VA disability benefits for migraine headaches is establishing a clear connection between service and the condition. The first step to establishing this relationship is to make sure that youve gotten a thorough and meaningful diagnosis for the condition. Be sure not to downplay your symptoms. Keep a record of every time migraine symptoms occur, and document the duration, severity, and impact. Be sure to bring up these symptoms with your doctor so that patterns can be identified over time.

As far as demonstrating that migraine headaches are connected to your service, the primary method is by establishing a line between a service-related incident and the onset of the migraine symptoms.

In addition, migraines can also be part of a medical nexus. This means that the condition could be connected to other diagnosed conditions such as TBI, mental health, tinnitus, or a musculoskeletal injury such as neck pain. If you have questions about whether your migraine headaches are related to your active duty service or secondary to a service-connected condition, you should speak with a VA accredited attorney about the potential for obtaining a medical nexus opinion and exploring whether your headaches are at least as likely as not service-related.

Our Team Is Eager To Hear About Your Case!

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Va Rating For Migraines: Receiving Va Disability For Headaches

When a veteran is disabled in some way during their active military service, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for compensating them. One of the most commonly claimed VA disabilities is when veterans suffer from migraines. Migraines can restrict a veterans ability to work and significantly damage their quality of life. If you are a veteran who developed migraines as a result of your time in the military, you may be entitled to VA disability benefits.

Condition Definitions And Va Disability Percentages

The definition of prostrating in this context has to do with being bedridden due to your conditionthe longer you cannot do anything but lie down when experiencing an attack, the higher your chances are of being awarded a higher VA disability percentage for the condition.

Remember that your ability to work and maintain employment is an important factor in such ratingsif your condition is very frequent the ability to maintain a job may be an important factor in the rating.

And that is one reason why it is crucial to submit supporting documentation from civilian doctors who may have treated you, buddy letters from co-workers and colleagues attesting to the nature and severity of your condition, etc.

Some veteran advocacy sites warn VA claims applicants that you should be evaluated on the potential harm to your employability some report that veterans may be asked to prove they HAVE experienced unemployability due to migraine.

If you are able to do so, you definitely should, but for those who feel their claims are being reviewed on the basis of whether they have actually experienced financial hardship as a result of their condition it may be wise to seek the assistance of legal counsel or get the help of a Veteran Service Officer or a VSO organization.

Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter for Air Force Television News

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Vertigo Secondary To Migraines

Vertigo is a condition categorized by the sensation of feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or off-balance. People with mild vertigo may feel like the room is spinning, while in more severe cases, vertigo can result in nausea, vomiting, and nystagmus, or abnormal eye movements.

Symptoms of vertigo can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. However, vertigo is almost always a symptom of another underlying condition, such as an inner ear condition or migraines.

Vertigo does not have a specific diagnostic code. It is usually rated under Diagnostic Code 6204 for peripheral vestibular disorders or Diagnostic Code 6205 for Menieres Disease/Syndrome.

Vertigo can be rated at 10 or 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 6204 or at 30, 60, or 100 percent under Diagnostic

How To Get Va Migraine Rating 30

Proving that your service-connected migraine deserves a 30% disability rating requires adequate knowledge about the rating criteria. The three main components of this rating are characteristic, prostrating, and a frequency of once a month on average.

The term characteristic implies that a veterans headaches are the typical prostrating attacks and without them, the veteran would not be considered to have a migraine disorder. The term prostrating once again refers to severity the headache is debilitating, and the veteran requires a long period of rest before they can perform normal activities again. The third criteria refers to the frequency of a veterans condition. This criteria is the determining factor between receiving a rating of 30 % or a rating of 10 %. If the veterans migraines occur on average at least once a month over the last several months, 30 %, if less than once a month on average, 10 %.

A 30 % VA disability rating will earn a veteran $441.35 a month.

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Migraine Va Rating Percentage And Criteria

The maximum VA rating for migraine headaches is 50 percent under 38 C.F.R. 4.124a Schedule for rating disabilities with VA diagnostic code 8100, under Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders. VA also rates migraines at 0%, 10%, and 30% for Veterans suffering from migraines due to an in-service incident. Again, the maximum a veteran may receive for a migraine VA rating is 50%.

In spite of its acutely disabling effects, migraines take up a very small section in the VA diagnostic code for ratings and like we mentioned earlier, a maximum schedular rating of 50% for migraine VA ratings. Migraines are principally rated according to the frequency of the migraine attacks and prostrating time.

Contact A Va Disability Lawyer Today

A VA Disability Lawyers role is to assist you throughout the confusing and often frustrating appeals process if you have been denied benefits for your service-connected migraines. Generally, you need to be denied at least once before an attorney can assist, but once a lawyer is involved they will often be able to quickly determine what needs to be done in order to prove entitlement.

If your VA disability claim for migraines has been denied, be sure to contact the VA Accredited Attorneys at VetLaw right away to help make sure you get the entitlement you deserve.

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Prove Your Migraines Are Constant And Chronic

This is one of the most important aspects of proving that you deserve a rating for migraine headaches. You must prove that your migraine headaches are a constant and chronic condition. You can prove this by keeping a log of your headaches or migraines. This means that you should log your migraine headache for a few months prior to submitting a VA Claim. A great app to do this is Migraine Buddy. You can also keep track of all the treatments youâre using to alleviate your symptoms such as doctor prescribed medication or normal aspirin or ibuprofen. Keep in mind that your diary should be detailed, and must include dates. You can also use the app for this purpose.

Frequency and severity of headaches is important to outline. Mild, moderate, and severe headaches should be logged accordingly.

What Is The Rating Criteria For Migraine Headaches

The rating criteria for migraines has four different ratings, 0%, 10%, 30% and 50%. The VA has a rating schedule, which can be used to determine the percentage of disability you will receive due to your migraine headaches. The rating schedule is defined under Diagnostic Code 8100 38 CFR § 4.124a â Schedule of ratings â neurological conditions and convulsive disorders

• With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability â¦..50%
• With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over last several months â¦..30%
• With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over last several months â¦â¦10%
• With less frequent attacks â¦.0%

We also recommend that you understand the Disability Benefits Questionnaire . It is specifically under DBQ Headaches , also known as DBQ neuro headaches. The DBQ is important to review before or during writing your lay statement. This is so that you can write your symptoms and preserve a potential argument if you require one. Make sure you do all of this in order to make a successful claim.

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Va Disability Rating For Migraines And Criteria

The VA rates migraines under 38 CFR § 4.124a Schedule of Ratings Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders, Diagnostic Code 8100. The criteria for each rating is based on the frequency and severity of the migraine headaches. Disability ratings under this diagnostic code include ratings from 0 to 50 percent disabling.

• 50% Migraines are very frequent, completely prostrating, and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.
• 30% Migraines are prostrating attacks that occur once a month on average over the last several months.
• 10% Migraines are characterized as prostrating attacks that occur on average once in two months over the last several months.
• 0% Migraines are less frequent attacks.

Tbis And Migraines Explained

A TBI refers to an injury to the brain caused by a violent blow, jolt to the body, or object penetration into the brain. A TBI affects the brains ability to work, ranges in seriousness from mild to severe, and may show a range of symptoms in those who have them.

One possible side effect of a TBI is a migraine, or an intense headache which can last for hours at a time and may cause nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and blurred vision. Migraines may be so debilitating that a person is unable to do anything except lie down and wait for it to pass.

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Veterans: How To Provide Evidence That Your Migraines Are Prostrating

Migraines are a serious issue for military personnel and veterans, and studies suggest that they are especially common in those deployed in Iraq. These migraines were found to negatively impact a soldiers ability to perform military duties, and after returning home, they continued to be problematic.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes that migraines may be a service connected disability. If you can prove that an event or incident during military service caused or aggravated your headaches, you may be eligible for VA Disability.

If you submit a claim to receive benefits for migraines, a VA ratings specialist will rate your headaches based on their severity and frequency using a ratings chart with four possible percentages: 0 percent, 10 percent, 30 percent, and 50 percent. A 50 percent rating is the highest rating given for migraines. This rating is only given if the migraine causes very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.

Work With Diligent Attorneys

An attorney is a valuable partner in all phases of a disability claim. For a free consultation with an experienced Veterans disability lawyer, contact the Cameron Firm, P.C. at 800-861-7262 or fill out the contact box on our website. We are here to represent veterans nationwide.

This article is for educational and marketing purposes only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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How Woods And Woods Can Help

If you have migraines that you believe are connected to your military service, you deserve VA disability compensation. Contact Woods and Woods to file an initial claim or to appeal a rating decision. We have lawyers that handle VA claims for all kinds of different conditions. Youll only pay us if we win.

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Service Connection For Migraine Headaches

Most often, veterans will pursue direct service connection when seeking VA disability benefits for their migraine headaches. In order to establish direct service connection, veterans must satisfy the following three elements:

• A current diagnosis of migraine headaches
• An in-service event, injury, or illness
• A medical nexus linking their migraine headaches to their in-service occurrence

After service connection is established, VA will assign a disability rating based on the severity of the veterans condition.

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How Va Rates Migraine Headaches

VA rates migraine headaches under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Schedule of Ratings Neurological Condition and Convulsive Disorders, Diagnostic Code 8100. The diagnostic code includes disability ratings from 0 to 50 percent disabling, with criteria based on the severity and frequency of the migraines:

• 50% with very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability
• 30% with characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average of once a month over the last several months
• 10% with characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in two months over the last several months
• 0% with less frequent attacks

Generally speaking, the term prostrating means that the veterans migraine headaches are so severe and debilitating that he or she is required to lay down for an extended period of time due to complete exhaustion and physical weakness. Typically, prostrating migraines may also require veterans to stop all activity and possibly take medication or seek medical attention.

Breakdown Of The 50% Migraine Headaches Rating Criteria

In order to prove your service-connected migraine headaches warrant the highest disability rating , you must understand all aspects of the rating criteria. Specifically, the 50% disability rating can be broken down into four main terms: very frequent, completely prostrating, prolonged, and productive of severe economic inadaptability. In regards to very frequent, VA will likely require your migraine headaches to occur on average more than once a month. For example, a veteran experiencing migraines two or three times per month would likely meet the very frequent standard.

As mentioned above, prostrating refers to an individual laying down as the result of his or her migraine headache. Therefore, completely prostrating at the 50% level likely means that you are entirely bedridden for the period of time when experiencing a migraine headache. Veterans who are unable to sit or stand up during the migraine attack would likely satisfy this aspect of the disability rating. The term prolonged deals with the length of the migraine headache itself, or how long it lasts. VA does not outline a specific requirement, but veterans must at least show that they are affected for a significant amount of time. Finally, severe economic inadaptability essentially means that your migraine headaches affect your ability to work, often requiring you to be absent several days of the month.

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How The Va Assigns Disability Ratings For Migraine Headaches

As described in the above, the VA rates migraine headaches under Diagnostic Code 8100, which allows for veterans to receive a percentage disability rating of 0, 10, 30, or 50 percent disabling.

Diagnostic Code 8100

• 50 Percent Schedule Disability Rating

With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability

• 30 Percent Schedule Disability Rating

With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over last several months

• 10 Percent Schedule Disability Rating

With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over last several months

• 0 Percent Schedule Disability Rating

With less frequent attacks

Veterans reading the above rating schedule often wonder what exactly the VA means by the terms prostrating, severe economic inadaptability, and very frequent versus less frequent. Though the VAs regulation containing Diagnostic Code 8100, 38 CFR 4.214, is silent on defining these terms, the VAs Manual M21-1MR defines these terms as follows:

means causing extreme exhaustion, powerlessness, debilitation or incapacitation with substantial inability to engage in ordinary activities.

• Completely Prostrating

means extreme exhaustion or powerlessness with essentially total inability to engage in ordinary activities.

• Severe economic inadaptability

means duration of characteristic prostrating attacks, on average, are more than two months apart over the last several months.