The Migraine DBQ records whether attacks are “prostrating” and how often your attacks happen. Documenting those two points accurately helps the examiner record the disability picture. No word or phrase produces a rating automatically. Migraines are rated under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8100, and the schedule is one of the most frequency-driven in the book.
First, what “prostrating” means
The schedule never defines “prostrating,” but the working meaning the VA and the courts use is plain: an attack that stops you in your tracks — you have to cease all activity, lie down, usually in a dark, quiet room, and you cannot function until it passes. A headache you push through with ibuprofen and keep working is not prostrating. A migraine that requires activity to stop may be described differently. Report what actually happens, including duration and functional effects, without selecting a rating tier.
What the examiner is filling out
The Headaches (including Migraine Headaches) DBQ asks the examiner to record:
- Diagnosis — migraine, tension, cluster, or other headache disorder.
- Symptoms during attacks — pulsating/throbbing pain, location, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia), visual aura.
- Duration — typical length of a head pain episode (hours, or more than a day).
- Frequency of prostrating attacks — the single most important box. How often do you have prostrating attacks, on average, over the last several months?
- Impact on work / economic inadaptability — whether the attacks affect your ability to work.
The DC 8100 schedule
Diagnosed migraines, but attacks are infrequent or not prostrating.
Roughly one prostrating attack every two months.
About one prostrating attack per month. This is the most common meaningful tier.
The maximum schedular rating uses the quoted criteria 'completely prostrating and prolonged' and 'severe economic inadaptability.'
How the schedule describes each tier
Use the criteria to understand the form
The rating schedule describes findings VA may consider. It is not a script. Describe only what is true in your own words, including frequency, duration, treatment, good and bad days, and effects on daily activities or work. Do not select or rehearse a rating tier.
A useful record: a frequency log
Because the schedule is built on average frequency over the last several months, the most useful record is a headache diary: a simple log of each attack — date, duration, symptoms, whether you had to stop and lie down, and any work missed. It turns “I get a lot of migraines” into “four prostrating attacks per month, documented.” Pair it with a buddy or family statement and, ideally, a note from your treating provider confirming the prostrating nature and frequency.
Answers that need more context
Accuracy reminder
Describe what is true in your own words, including frequency, duration, treatment, good and bad days, and effects on daily activities or work. Do not exaggerate, omit improvement, rehearse a rating tier, or guess. If something varies or you do not know, say that clearly.
Document the medication side too
Document preventive and abortive migraine medication accurately, including benefit, side effects, and the attack pattern that remains. Treatment history is part of the record; it does not by itself establish a rating level.
Use this with the rest of the site
- ▸ Migraines condition guide — the rating schedule and evidence checklist for that condition.
- ▸ C&P Exam Prep — a checklist for organizing your history, treatment, and questions before the exam.
- ▸ Coach preview — free five-question preview; the dashboard organizes C&P prep and a VSO packet.
- ▸ Full C&P exam guide — how to describe your symptoms accurately.
Get the free Secondary Conditions Checklist by email
Educational content only. VA publishes Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires. Some DBQs are not available for public use. Rating criteria are in 38 CFR Part 4. Not legal or medical advice. Always consult a VA-accredited VSO or attorney for claim-specific guidance. CFR citations: 38 CFR § 4.124a Diagnostic Code 8100 (migraine), § 4.16 (TDIU where migraines preclude substantially gainful employment), § 3.159(a)(2) (competent lay evidence)..