VA Rating for TBI with Migraines: Maximizing Your Benefits

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Can you get a VA rating for TBI with migraines?  

The VA typically doesn’t rate the same symptoms twice, but this is one of the few cases where it can assign two separate ratings. 

Unfortunately, migraines are a common and often severe side effect of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), but you may qualify for VA disability compensation for both conditions. 

Here’s what you need to know about how TBIs and migraines are connected, how the VA rates them, and how to qualify for separate ratings. 

Summary of Key Points

• Traumatic brain injuries often disrupt how your brain processes pain, light, and sound, making migraines a common and sometimes long-lasting symptom. 

• The VA rates TBI and migraines separately under different diagnostic codes (DC), allowing veterans to receive compensation for both when migraines are a separate condition. 

• Migraines and TBI can affect your ability to work, and combined ratings may qualify you for TDIU if your conditions prevent substantially gainful employment. 

Why Migraines Are Common After a TBI

A traumatic brain injury can change how your brain processes pain, light, and sound, which makes migraines more likely.  

For many service members, these headaches begin soon after the injury and can last for years. 

According to the 2023 VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for Management of Headache, it’s stated that headaches are reported in 30–90% of active-duty service members diagnosed with a TBI. While migraines are more severe than a traditional headache, it shows how common and debilitating head pain can be after a brain injury and why so many service members with TBI go on to develop migraine symptoms. 

VA Rating for TBI with Migraines

The VA typically does not assign separate ratings for a TBI and its associated symptoms. Migraines, however, are one of the few exceptions. 

Some TBI symptoms are “subjective,” meaning you feel them, but you can’t always measure them on a test.  

These symptoms can appear on their own or alongside other cognitive or physical problems. The VA rates these subjective symptoms using the TBI rating table. 

However, if one of your symptoms has its own current, distinct diagnosis that can be rated under a different code, like migraines, the VA can assign a separate rating, as long as the manifestations do not overlap with those already used to evaluate your TBI, even if the diagnosis is based on subjective symptoms. 

Calculate Your Combined VA Rating 

How the VA Rates Traumatic Brain Injuries

The VA rates TBIs under 38 CFR § 4.124a, DC 8045, based on your residual symptoms, using a scale of 0, 1, 2, 3, or total. 

This scale measures how your TBI affects cognitive and physical functioning and evaluates emotional/behavioral symptoms when there is no separate mental disorder diagnosis.  

The VA reviews issues like memory loss, concentration problems, judgment, social interaction, mood changes, and physical symptoms such as dizziness or balance problems.  

Each facet is scored separately, and the highest facet level determines your overall TBI rating. 

>> View Our Complete Guide on the VA Rating Scale for TBI 

VA Rating Chart for Migraines

The VA rates migraines under DC 8100, with potential ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, or 50%. 

DC 8100, Migraines	VA Rating
With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability	50%
With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over last several months	30%
With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over last several months	10%
With less frequent attacks	0%

Migraine ratings are based mainly on how frequent your attacks are and whether they are “prostrating,” meaning they force you to lie down or stop what you’re doing.  

For a 50% migraine rating, the VA also considers how much your headaches interfere with your ability to work. 

Learn More: VA Rating for Migraine Headaches 

How to Prove Service Connection

To be eligible for a VA rating for TBI with migraines, you must provide the following: 

• A current medical diagnosis 

• An in-service event, injury, aggravation, or illness 

• A medical nexus (link) between your current diagnosis and the in-service event, injury, aggravation, or illness 

TBI and Presumptive Conditions

TBIs themselves aren’t on the VA’s formal presumptive list, but under 38 C.F.R. § 3.310(d)(1), the VA assumes a moderate or severe service-connected TBI causes certain linked illnesses, and for some of these conditions, they must develop within specified timeframes. 

These conditions include: 

• Parkinson’s disease 

• Unprovoked seizures 

• Certain types of dementia 

• Depression 

• Hormone deficiency disorders 

In these cases, “presumptive” is used informally to indicate that if you have a moderate to severe TBI and develop one of the listed illnesses within the regulatory time limits, the VA  treats it as proximately due to your TBI unless they can prove it was caused by something else, but it doesn’t guarantee service connection. 

View the List of Presumptive Conditions 

TDIU for TBI with Migraines

If your condition makes it impossible to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, you may qualify for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). 

In addition, one of these must be true: 

• You have at least 1 service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling, or  

• You have 2 or more service-connected disabilities, with at least 1 rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more. 

Since migraines and TBI are rated separately, having both conditions may increase your total disability rating and improve your chances of receiving TDIU. 

Learn More: How to Win Your VA TDIU Claim

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