Tension Headaches: VA Disability Claims, Ratings, and Appeals
CCK Law: Our Vital Role in Veterans Law
Tension-type headaches (TTH) are the most common form of headache, with many sources stating that TTHs account for around 90 percent of all headache diagnoses and impact millions of people every year. TTHs usually consist of aching pains, pressure, and tightness on both sides of the head.
If you are a veteran suffering from TTH, then there is good news. Depending on the severity of your headaches, you could be entitled to monthly compensation from VA to help you handle your symptoms. This article will explore common symptoms of TTH, as well as how you can prove your tension headaches are service connected.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- How to prove service connection for your tension headaches
- What ratings VA could assign to your condition
- What the monthly compensation is for recurring headaches
- And more
What Are Tension Headaches?
Tension headaches are an extremely prevalent form of headache, with most adults experiencing at least one over the course of their lives. These episodes can be isolated or recurring, and involve symptoms like:
- Dull, aching pain
- A feeling of pressure, like an elastic band is wrapped tightly around the head
- Trouble concentrating
- Muscle tenderness or pain in the neck and shoulders
- Irritability
- Sensitivity to light or sound
TTH can last from half an hour to several days. Typically, isolated headaches often come on gradually in the middle of the day, while chronic ones can seem like they never go away, only getting stronger or weaker over the course of hours or days.
What Causes Tension Headaches?
There are multiple potential causes—or triggers—for tension headaches. Some of these include:
- Excessive muscle tension in the neck or shoulders
- Stress
- Bad posture
- Eye strain
- Caffeine withdrawal
- Sleep deprivation
- Dehydration
- Jaw clenching/teeth grinding
Tension Headaches and Veterans
TTH can also be linked to several physical and mental disorders that commonly affect veterans, including tinnitus, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and PTSD, as well as other panic and anxiety disorders.
- Tinnitus: This is one of the most widespread conditions amongst veterans, due to its association with exposure to loud noises like gunfire or heavy machinery. Because of the persistent buzzing and ringing sounds that tinnitus produces, it is a frequent cause of tension headaches.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Tens of thousands of veterans suffer from TBI due to vehicle crashes, explosions, or heavy impacts they experienced over the course of their service. Such damage to the brain is a huge risk factor for TTH.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is more common amongst veterans than the civilian population, and can lead to excessive stress, trouble sleeping, anxiety, and other symptoms that trigger tension-type headaches.
If you believe that your tension headaches can be linked to your service, then the next step to gaining VA benefits is to establish a service connection between your symptoms and your military career.
How to Establish Service Connection for Tension Headaches
In order to be granted benefits from VA for your condition, the first thing you must do is prove service connection—that your condition is somehow a result of your military service.
Direct Service Connection
Direct service connection for TTH is when a veteran can prove both that 1) they are experiencing headaches and 2) these headaches are directly related to their military service. To establish this link, you should submit evidence of each of the following:
- A confirmed diagnosis of tension headaches. The most straightforward way to establish this is typically through official medical documentation. Keep in mind, the condition must be ongoing in order to be eligible for VA disability compensation.
- An in-service event. The strongest proof for this is usually found in service treatment records, which may detail any medical issues—including chronic headaches or related symptoms—addressed during active duty. These records can be crucial in demonstrating that the condition began while in service or developed shortly thereafter. However, if such documentation is unavailable, lay statements from the veteran or close family members may serve as valuable evidence. These narratives can illustrate when the symptoms first appeared, how they developed, and how they connect to the veteran’s time in service.
- A medical nexus between the diagnosed condition and the in-service incident. This often takes the form of a professional opinion from a licensed healthcare provider who asserts that the condition was “at least as likely as not” caused by the veteran’s military service. (Read more about the importance of nexus letters.)
Secondary Service Connection
A secondary service connection is when a veteran can prove that their tension-type headaches are caused by a separate, service-connected condition.
For instance, a veteran may be diagnosed with service-connected tinnitus as a result of the heavy machinery they worked with while deployed. If this tinnitus later goes on to trigger headaches for the veteran, then they can now connect those headaches to their service through their tinnitus claim. This would be the case even if the headaches first appeared after their service.
Tension-type headaches can often be bound to service-connected conditions like PTSD, TBI, or tinnitus. If you’re seeking assistance in establishing secondary service connection for your TTH, then consider contacting CCK Law for a free case evaluation.
Compensation & Pension Exams for Tension Headaches
When seeking service connection for tension headaches, VA will most likely schedule you for a Compensation & Pension (C&P) examination. These exams are conducted by either a VA healthcare provider or a professional contracted by VA. The purpose of the exam is to collect detailed information about your condition, allowing the examiner to provide a medical opinion on whether your diagnosis is “at least as likely as not” related to your time in service.
At your C&P exam, it’s essential to clearly communicate the intensity and impact of your symptoms. Specifically for tension-type headaches, be sure to describe the nature of each episode, including any functional limitations, to help the examiner fully understand your condition.
Showing up for your scheduled exams is critically important. Missing an exam—or failing to follow through with scheduling—can lead VA to deny your claim.
If you receive a negative outcome from your C&P exam, there are steps you can take to dispute it. Request a copy of the exam report and review it for any missing or incorrect information.
If the examiner concludes there’s no link between your condition and military service, a second medical opinion from your own physician could offer the favorable nexus statement needed. As previously noted, lay statements from you or those close to you can also strengthen your case by shedding light on how your symptoms affect your daily life.
How Does VA Rate Tension Headaches?
VA rates headaches under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Schedule of Ratings – Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders, Diagnostic Code 8100. While code 8100 typically governs migraine headaches, VA also rates tension headaches under this code, since TTH don’t have a diagnostic code of their own.
Under this code, VA rates tension-type headaches from 0 percent to 50 percent, based on how frequent and severe symptoms are. Depending on your rating, you will receive a corresponding amount of VA disability benefits on a monthly basis. The criteria for these ratings are:
- 50 percent – Where headaches are prostrating, frequent, and prolonged, substantially harming economic capability
- 30 percent – Where headaches are prostrating, but only occur an average of once a month for several months
- 10 percent – Where headaches are prostrating, but only occur an average of once every two months for several months
- 0 percent – Where severe headaches are less frequent
It is important to note that, due to the lack of a diagnostic code pertaining to TTH specifically, VA will be forced to rate your tension headaches “by analogy”. Essentially, this means that the rating you are assigned may differ slightly from the criteria above, which are intended for migraines. Instead, VA will use these criteria as a general guide to determine how disruptive your headaches are to your daily life, and then rate you accordingly.
Can I Receive TDIU for Tension Headaches?
Chronic and severe tension headaches can significantly impact a veteran’s quality of life. In some cases, even with a VA rating for tension headaches below 100 percent, a veteran’s symptoms may be so disruptive that they find themselves unable to work.
When a service-connected condition prevents a veteran from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment, they may qualify for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). TDIU allows veterans who are not rated at 100 percent to still receive compensation at the full disability rate.
Veterans can qualify for TDIU in two main ways:
- Schedular TDIU – To be considered under this category, a veteran must have:
- a single service-connected disability rated at least 60 percent, or
- a combined rating of 70 percent or more, with at least one of those conditions rated at 40 percent or higher.
- Extraschedular TDIU – Even if a veteran with frequent tension headaches does not meet these conditions, they may still qualify for “extraschedular” TDIU. This occurs when the Director of Compensation Service makes a determination that a veteran’s service-connected headaches are still somehow preventing them from holding gainful employment.
Because TDIU claims involve complex criteria and detailed evidence, working with a VA-accredited representative—such as an attorney or claims agent—can be especially helpful in navigating the process and strengthening your case.
VA Disability Compensation for Service-Connected Tension Headaches
If a veteran successfully establishes a service connection and gains a compensable VA rating for their tension-type headaches, then they become entitled to monthly benefits from VA.
As of 2025, the VA disability rate benefit amounts are as follows:
- 0 percent disability rating: $0.00 per month
- 10 percent disability rating: $175.51 per month
- 30 percent disability rating: $537.42 per month
- 50 percent disability rating: $1,102.04 per month
Note that dependents and other factors may affect the benefit amount you receive each month.
Additionally, a tension headache rated at 0% by VA is considered non-compensable, meaning you are service-connected but not entitled to monthly compensation.
How to Appeal or Increase Your Tension Headache VA Rating
Veterans may choose to appeal or request an increased VA rating for their tension headaches for several reasons, such as:
- VA may have improperly denied the original claim
- The veteran feels the current rating doesn’t accurately reflect the severity of their condition
- The condition has worsened over time
- A secondary condition has developed
In these situations, veterans have several options to appeal their rating.
Need Help Filing an Appeal? Contact CCK Law Today!
Throughout the appeals process, it can be invaluable to have a VA-accredited attorney by your side to offer guidance on the best course of action, flag potential issues to avoid, and help streamline your benefits journey.
If you suffer from tension headaches and want to appeal your rating to VA, then contact CCK Law for a free case evaluation!
