Step 1: Protect your filing date
If you are not ready to file the full claim today, an intent to file can reserve a potential effective date while you gather evidence. VA's intent-to-file process gives you a deadline — one year — to submit the complete claim, so record the date and work to it.
Step 2: Gather the migraine evidence
For an original claim, VA generally looks for a current disability, an in-service event or illness, and a link between them. For a secondary claim, the link runs to the service-connected primary condition instead — the two secondary guides in this series cover those packages.
Whatever the theory, the rating evidence is migraine-specific: a current diagnosis, treatment records, and a dated log that shows how often prostrating attacks occur across several months. Organize the package by what each document shows, using the evidence checklist guide.
Step 3: File, then follow the claim
File through the official channels VA's filing page describes, and keep a complete copy of what you submitted with its confirmation. VA may schedule a claim exam; the DBQ guide in this series explains the questionnaire that exam uses.
After filing, use VA's claim status tool for the official status and for any evidence requests, and keep their response dates in your own calendar.
Filing checklist for a migraine claim
Work through this list in order. Each item is a document or step you can verify before the claim goes in.