Bob awoke with a familiar dread – the pounding was starting behind his eyes again. As he slowly lifted his head from the pillow, the jackhammering pain intensified, his vision narrowing to a tunnel as the migraine took hold. He glanced at the half-finished birdhouses lining his cramped workshop and let out a muted sigh. Not today.

Moving gingerly so as not to spur the throbbing ache in his temples, Bob drew the blackout curtains and eased himself into bed, trying not to count the hours of work lost. He had orders to fill, customers awaiting their hand-crafted birdhouses. But the searing pain left no room to create. On days like this, he was helpless to do anything but ride out the storm.

As an Army Ranger, Bob endured grueling conditions and emerged battle-tested yet intact. His health crumbled not under heavy loads on remote mountain passes, but under the unrelenting strain of traumatic migraines triggered by an IED blast that nearly killed his patrol. The VA doctors assured him the pain would diminish over time. Instead, ten years later, the vice-like headaches seemed only to intensify, striking 2-3 days each month – approximately 36 days per year – forcing Bob to miss building around 36 birdhouses per year.

36 birdhouses he couldn’t craft meant over a month’s worth of lost potential sales and delayed customer orders whenever episodes hit, struggling to catch up. Small craft fairs provided supplemental income, but traveling was impossible mid-migraine. Still, the sporadic setbacks took their toll over time.

Exacerbating the financial hit, each blinding day in bed meant zero birdhouses built for the next day’s sales. And the Department of Veterans Affairs often gave Bob the runaround when applying for disability aid, demanding he account for every lost day of productivity due to his condition. But the hours blurred into endless agony in his darkened room, helping little with VA paperwork and appeals.

With a stifled groan, Bob put aside thoughts of customer refunds or VA bureaucracy, shifting to try and find a ray of light that wouldn’t spike the pounding ache behind his eyes. As the pain swelled once more, he could focus only on coping hour to harrowing hour, praying tomorrow would let him resume his modest livelihood. On days like this – effectively prostrate, fighting wave after wave of nausea barely kept at bay in the still darkness – thoughts of giving up his business entirely often crept into Bob’s mind. But woodworking was his passion; he couldn’t let the migraines take that too.

The VA assigns disability ratings for service-connected migraine headaches based on frequency and severity of symptoms under Diagnostic Code 8100. To obtain the highest rating of 50%, the evidence must demonstrate:

• Very frequent, completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.

This means migraines that occur on average at least once per month over the last several months. The regulation does not provide a specific number, rather it assesses the overall frequency and impact of attacks.

In addition to frequency, the migraines must be characterized by all of:

• Completely prostrating – defined as extreme exhaustion or powerlessness with severe pain.
• Prolonged attacks – lasting days at a time.
• Severe economic inadaptability – impacts ability to function, maintain employment, handle daily tasks.

The VA will review a veteran’s medical records, collecting evidence like doctor’s notes documenting migraine symptoms, therapies attempted, duration and severity of episodes. It will also assess the functional impact, including effects on occupational or social impairment.

For a veteran like Bob whose migraines strike 2-3 times per month, impacting his birdhouse business, medical evidence objectively confirming this severity level would be crucial for the 50% rating argument. It requires showing overall disability picture that matches regulatory criteria for very frequent, extended, completely debilitating migraines severely limiting economic adaptability. Ongoing documentation of attack intensity, losses/setbacks incurred due to migraines would strengthen his rating claim.

Keeping a thorough headache diary is extremely important for veterans like Bob to track details that can support getting their proper VA disability rating. Headaches can vary widely, making precise documentation over an extended time critical.

A migraine tracking app like Migraine Buddy is an excellent way for veterans managing headache conditions to diligently log daily symptoms and impacts. Features like noting pain levels, triggers, medication usage and ability to function give concrete metrics on headache patterns. This provides impactful data for VA disability claims rather than relying on recalling generalities during medical exams.

For example, Migraine Buddy logs could validate key rating criteria like:
– Frequency – Clear dates show migraines occurring 2-3 times monthly.
– Intensity – Pain scale ratings indicating severe, prostrating agony.
– Duration – Tracking episode length over multiple hours or days.
– Impacts – Noting severe vomiting, sensitivity exacerbating symptoms.
– Disruptions – Directly relating missed work/activities due to migraines.

Migraine Buddy

Veterans can even share reports from Migraine Buddy directly with their doctors or VA representatives to further underscore functional impairment levels in disability applications.

Keeping thorough headache diaries arms veterans like Bob with tangible evidence on debilitating effects necessary for accurate VA ratings. Data speaks volumes compared to estimate summaries after the fact. Apps like Migraine Buddy offer user-friendly logging tools to demonstrate real lifestyle disruptions – getting veterans the support they deserve.