# Migraine rating increase: when the current rating no longer fits

> A migraine rating can be re-examined when attacks become more frequent or more severe. How to compare your recent record against the next DC 8100 level, and the routes to request a higher rating.

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

Last updated: 2026-10-27

Updated October 27, 2026 · By AIVA

An increase turns on the same DC 8100 scale as the original rating. If prostrating attacks now occur on an average once a month over the last several months, or have become very frequent, completely prostrating, and prolonged and productive of severe economic inadaptability, the recent record may match a higher level than the one currently assigned.

## 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)

## [Compare your last several months to the scale](#compare-your-last-several-months-to-the-scale)

The criteria do not measure your worst single attack or your best month; the 10% and 30% levels describe averages over the last several months, and the 50% level adds completely prostrating, prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability. The chart on this page is the comparison to make.

Build the comparison from records, not memory: the headache log, treatment visits since the last decision, and any record of work missed. If the recent pattern matches the next level's wording, the record is ready to present; if it does not yet span several months, keep logging first.

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

## [Choose the route that fits your situation](#choose-the-route-that-fits-your-situation)

If your condition has worsened since VA last rated it, the route is a claim for an increased rating. If VA has already decided the issue and you disagree with that decision, the decision-review routes apply instead: a Supplemental Claim introduces new and relevant evidence, a Higher-Level Review is decided on the existing record, and a Board Appeal is reviewed by a Veterans Law Judge.

The routes have different evidence rules and deadlines. Read the instructions in your decision letter and VA's review-options guidance before choosing, and consider accredited help for the choice — the wrong route can waste the evidence you gathered.

[VA: Choosing a decision review option](https://www.va.gov/resources/choosing-a-decision-review-option/)

## [Evidence that shows change](#evidence-that-shows-change)

An increase claim is a comparison, so the evidence should show both sides of it: what the pattern was when the current rating was set, and what it has been over the last several months. An updated log, records of treatment changes, and factual statements about missed work make that change visible.

Keep submitting records through the official channels and keep the confirmations. A status label in the claim tracker is not the decision — the decision letter is.

[VA: Claim status tool FAQs](https://www.va.gov/resources/claim-status-tool-faqs/)

## Increase-readiness self-check

Answer these against your records from the last several months — the period the criteria measure — before choosing a route.

- Your current migraine rating and the decision that assigned it
- Attack counts for each of the last several months, from your log
- Whether prostrating attacks now average once a month or more
- Whether attacks have become completely prostrating and prolonged
- Documented effect on work: missed days, left early, duties not completed
- Treatment changes since the last decision, and what prompted them

## 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)
- [What to do after a denial](https://aivaclaims.com/guides/va-claim-denied)

## 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.