The Veteran's cluster headaches are currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted due to the lack of completely prostrating and prolonged attacks.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran had completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.
- Claimed conditions
- Cluster headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20071902
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20071902.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), alcohol use disorder, and cluster headaches. The claims were remanded for further development of the evidence regarding unspecified mood disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for cluster headaches prior to April 5, 2023, to obtain a retrospective medical opinion and outstanding VA treatment records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cluster headaches as secondary to tinnitus and denied an initial compensable rating for a right ankle scar.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for eligibility for benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is remanded due to an AOJ error in satisfying a regulatory and statutory duty.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.