The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for cluster headaches was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to October 8, 2019 and did not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent thereafter.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of characteristic prostrating attacks required for higher ratings under DC 8100.
- Claimed conditions
- cluster headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21021690
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 21021690.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and whether it is secondary to his service-connected cluster headaches or meningitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for residuals of mononucleosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cluster headaches due to incomplete VA medical opinions. The Veteran is requested to provide addendum opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for cluster headaches was denied because the new evidence did not relate to the issue of whether his current condition is related to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure by VA to obtain relevant private treatment records, including from Dr. K and Dr. N, which may be pertinent to the Veteran's eligibility for PCAFC benefits.
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