Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation for his service-connected headaches was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating, as the Veteran's headaches were rated based on frequency and severity of attacks, which were consistent with the current 30 percent rating.

The deciding factor: The medical records consistently showed that the Veteran experienced characteristic prostrating attacks occurring once per month for his migraine headaches, but these did not meet the criteria for a higher 50% rating under Diagnostic Code 8100 due to lack of very frequent and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.

Claimed conditions
Headaches (including migraine headaches)
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
30%
Decision date
January 30, 2024
Citation
24004688

Veterans Law Judge

Rebecca N. Poulson

Decisions by this judge: 926 · Granted: 33% (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 24004688.

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.

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.