Can I Receive VA Disability Benefits for Headaches?

We often hear from clients who ask, “Can I receive VA disability for headaches?” The short answer is yes, you may be able to receive VA benefits for headaches.  However, it is not as simple as filing a claim with the VA to report your headaches and receive compensation.  You must first prove that it is part of a currently diagnosed condition and that it is connected to your time in service. If you can prove these elements when filing your claim, you should be able to receive monthly disability compensation for headaches.

Read on to learn more about VA ratings for headaches and what you need to demonstrate to receive VA benefits. For specific advice regarding your case and to get assistance filing your initial claim or appealing a denied claim, contact an experienced VA benefits attorney in your area.

If you get headaches often enough, they can prevent you from keeping a job or enjoying your leisure time. Migraine headaches can be completely immobilizing, as the only reliable relief may be lying down in a darkened room. Unfortunately, many Veterans are not aware that they may receive VA disability benefits for headaches if they can get the condition service-connected– linking it to something that happened during the Veteran’s time in the military.

Whether headaches are a symptom that stems from a mental health condition (like PTSD), or a product of sinus problems that developed during service, Veterans are entitled to file for service connection for headaches.

If the headaches are linked to service, the Veteran will receive a rating percentage associated with the overall impact on their livelihood.

The VA currently rates headaches under diagnostic code 8100. The VA rating scale classifies headaches based on how incapacitating the condition is and how frequently the headaches occur. Headaches can be defined as:

Prostrating – Causing extreme exhaustion, powerlessness, debilitation, or incapacitation with substantial inability to engage in everyday activities.

Completely Prostrating – Causing extreme exhaustion, powerlessness, debilitation, or incapacitation with essentially total inability to engage in everyday activities.

Looking at the terms above, the only difference is a completely prostrating headache makes a person totally incapacitated, while a prostrating headache is only substantially incapacitating. However, the VA can also define your headaches as causing:

Severe Economic Inadaptability – Denotes a degree of substantial work impairment.

The VA also takes into account how often these headaches occur. If you have headaches more frequently, you are entitled to a higher rating. The VA will define your headaches as:

Less Frequent – If the duration of prostrating attacks is more than two months apart on average, you may receive a 0% rating. If you get a prostrating attack every two months over a period of several months, the VA may assign a 10% rating.

Very Frequent  – If you get prostrating attacks once a month on average over a period of several months, the VA may assign a 30% rating. Migraines that are completely prostrating and prolonged and result in severe economic inadaptability will likely receive a 50% rating.

When a VA rating specialist reviews your disability claim, they will look for existing evidence that your migraine is “prostrating” (causing both weakness and the need to lie down). Many times, this information will jump off the page and get the rating specialist’s attention. To make sure that your migraine will be rated accurately, you need to provide documentation showing that your headache qualifies as a migraine.

You should obtain a diagnosis from a medical specialist and have them complete a Headaches Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ), which includes migraines. If you’re already receiving benefits for service-connected migraines but at a lower level, the VA may increase your rating based on the information your physician provides in the DBQ. An important section of the DBQ to focus on is Section IV – Prostrating Attacks of Headache Pain.

Additionally, you should provide records and statements from family and friends about instances when your headaches disrupted your life. These “statements,” often referred to as buddy statements or buddy letters, can be the difference between the VA denying your claim and granting you disability compensation.

When you visit your doctor, it is important to tell them exactly how your headaches make you feel. Are you unable to remain productive when you have one? Do they cause weakness? Are you often reduced to lying down for hours or days because your head won’t stop hurting? The more descriptive you can be, the more likely it is that your medical statements will convince the VA to rate you higher.

Along with TBIs and mental disorders, other common secondary service-connection issues include:

• Temporomandibular Joints Disorder (TMD) – Results from the constant grinding or clinching of one’s teeth. TMD can also affect the neck muscles.
• Cervical strain – Sprains of the cervical spine’s ligaments can cause severe headaches. Conditions such as radiculopathy, or a pinched nerve in the neck, can also cause or exacerbate migraines.
• Sinusitis and rhinitis – Refer to problems with the sinus cavities and nose, which could come from service-related chemical exposure or the climate where you were deployed. Veterans with these conditions are up to 10 times more likely to experience migraines.
• Tinnitus – Constant ringing in the ears has a strong link to migraines. Veterans can sustain hearing damage due to the levels of noise they’re exposed to during combat and training missions.

Other secondary service-connected conditions can cause or worsen migraines. It is important to work with your doctor and your VA claim representative to discuss all the issues you are dealing with.