The veteran's cluster headaches were rated at 30 percent prior to October 11, 1996. From that date, the claim for a higher rating was denied as his daily headaches did not meet the criteria for a disability evaluation in excess of 30 percent.
The deciding factor: The veteran's headaches have remained consistent in frequency and severity throughout the period under review, allowing him to continue working despite their impact on his daily life.
- Claimed conditions
- Cluster Headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0005939
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0005939.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and irritable bowel syndrome, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. Other claims were either denied or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for GERD and a 50 percent evaluation for cluster headaches, but denied an increased rating for right foot plantar fasciitis. The Veteran was also granted a 10 percent evaluation for external hemorrhoids effective May 19, 2024.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected cluster headaches have been rated at 50 percent since March 14, 2011. The Board found that the symptoms more closely approximate very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected cluster headaches is being remanded due to insufficient medical opinions. The Board will seek new medical opinions without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
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