# Headaches vs. migraine: which rating criteria apply?

> VA's rating schedule lists migraine at Diagnostic Code 8100. Whether your records say headaches or migraine, the criteria ask the same questions: are the attacks prostrating, and how often do they occur?

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

Last updated: 2026-10-27

Updated October 27, 2026 · By AIVA

Diagnostic Code 8100 is the rating schedule's migraine code, in 38 CFR 4.124a. Headache claims are evaluated against criteria that ask whether attacks are characteristic and prostrating and how frequently they occur, so both the diagnosis recorded in your file and the documented pattern of your attacks matter to the rating.

## [One code addresses headache claims](#one-code-addresses-headache-claims)

In the Miscellaneous Diseases section of 38 CFR 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8100 — titled Migraine — is the entry that rates headache disability, with the four levels reproduced on the criteria page in this series. The schedule does not publish a second percentage table for other headache types in that section.

The same section makes the point from the other direction: residuals of traumatic brain injury that carry a distinct diagnosis, such as migraine headache, are evaluated separately under that diagnosis's own code rather than inside the TBI table.

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

## [What differs is the record, not a second chart](#what-differs-is-the-record-not-a-second-chart)

Because there is one set of criteria, the practical questions are the same whatever wording your records use:

- Diagnosis: do your records diagnose migraine, record headaches without that diagnosis, or use both wordings at different times?
- Character: do the records show attacks that are prostrating — attacks that stop you — or only that headaches occurred?
- Frequency: can attacks be counted across the last several months, as the 10% and 30% criteria measure?

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

## [If your records only say headaches](#if-your-records-only-say-headaches)

A claim is evaluated on the evidence in the file. If your records record headaches but never address diagnosis, frequency, or what attacks do to you, the file is thin on exactly the points the criteria measure — whatever the eventual diagnosis wording.

Two steps strengthen that record without changing what is true: ask your provider to document the diagnosis and attack pattern accurately at your next visit, and keep the dated headache log described on the hub page so frequency and prostrating character are recorded as they happen.

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

## Headache-vs-migraine record check

Use this check to see what your existing records already show before you file or respond to a decision. It reads your file against the questions the DC 8100 criteria ask.

- What diagnosis wording appears in your records — migraine, headaches, or both
- The dates of treatment visits for headaches or migraine
- Whether any record describes attacks that made you stop and rest
- Whether the frequency of attacks can be counted across several months
- Current treatment and whether it is recorded as helping
- Any statement or log you have that describes what attacks do to your day

## Related help

- [Migraine VA rating hub](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/migraine-va-rating)
- [The DC 8100 criteria in plain language](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/migraine-va-rating/criteria)
- [VA claim evidence checklist](https://aivaclaims.com/guides/va-claim-evidence-checklist)

## 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.