# Migraine VA rating criteria: the DC 8100 scale in plain language

> The complete DC 8100 criteria table — 0%, 10%, 30%, and 50% — quoted from 38 CFR 4.124a, with a plain-language reading of each level and a worksheet for comparing your record to the scale.

Canonical: https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/migraine-va-rating/criteria

Last updated: 2026-10-27

Updated October 27, 2026 · By AIVA

The DC 8100 scale has four levels. At 10%, characteristic prostrating attacks average one in 2 months over the last several months; at 30%, they occur on an average once a month over the last several months; at 50%, very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks are productive of severe economic inadaptability; less frequent attacks are rated 0%.

## The DC 8100 rating chart (38 CFR 4.124a)

| Rating | Criteria — Diagnostic Code 8100, Migraine |
| --- | --- |
| **50%** | With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability |
| **30%** | With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over last several months |
| **10%** | With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over last several months |
| **0%** | With less frequent attacks |

Source: [38 CFR 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8100 — Migraine (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.124a)

## [The criteria as written](#the-criteria-as-written)

The table on this page is the whole scale. Diagnostic Code 8100 states four criteria and nothing else: no additional percentage levels, and no separate criteria for individual symptoms. A rating is assigned by matching the documented pattern of attacks to the level it most closely fits.

[38 CFR 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8100 — Migraine (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.124a)

## [Reading the scale in plain language](#reading-the-scale-in-plain-language)

The difference between 10% and 30% is frequency alone: prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months, versus prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month, in each case over the last several months.

The 50% level changes more than frequency. It requires attacks that are very frequent, completely prostrating, and prolonged, and it adds a consequence the lower levels do not mention: the attacks must be productive of severe economic inadaptability — a severe effect on the ability to work.

A 0% rating means the attacks are less frequent than the 10% criterion describes. It still records the condition as service-connected; the percentage reflects the frequency the criteria measure.

[38 CFR 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8100 — Migraine (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.124a)

## [An average over several months, not a single month](#an-average-over-several-months-not-a-single-month)

Both the 10% and 30% criteria measure an average over the last several months. One unusually bad month, or one unusually good month, does not by itself set the level — the pattern across several months is what the criteria describe.

That is why records that span time matter: treatment notes across visits, and a headache log kept as attacks happen, show an average in a way a single statement written afterward cannot.

[VA: Evidence needed for a disability claim](https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/evidence-needed/)

## Criteria self-check worksheet

Work through these steps with your headache log and treatment records in front of you. The worksheet organizes your own record against the scale; it does not predict what VA will decide.

- Count your attacks in each of the last several months
- Mark which attacks were prostrating — you had to stop and rest
- Note any attacks that were completely prostrating and prolonged
- Write down the work you missed or could not complete because of attacks
- Compare your monthly average with the 10% and 30% criteria
- Check whether the 50% elements — very frequent, completely prostrating, prolonged, severe economic inadaptability — describe your record

## Related help

- [Migraine VA rating hub](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/migraine-va-rating)
- [What prostrating attacks mean](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/migraine-va-rating/prostrating-attacks)
- [Requesting a migraine rating increase](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/migraine-va-rating/rating-increase)

## Check your likely claim paths

Answer a few taps in AIVA's pre-eligibility check and see the paths that may fit your situation, before you decide anything.

[Start the pre-eligibility check](https://aivaclaims.com/check)

This educational series reproduces and explains the linked regulation and VA sources. It is not an individual legal or medical assessment, and it does not predict a rating. For representation or help with your claim, [find VA-accredited assistance](https://www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/). Check the current VA instructions and your own decision letter before filing.