Tension Headaches — VA Disability Rating & Claim Guide
This is not legal or medical advice. Always consult with a VSO or accredited claims agent.
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The DBQ for Tension Headaches
Your C&P examiner fills out DBQ 21-0960C-8 (Headaches (Including Migraine Headaches)) — the form that decides your rating. You can have your own doctor complete the same DBQ and submit it as evidence.
Have a C&P exam coming up? See exactly what the examiner will ask about Tension Headaches — and how to describe it.
Prep →2026 Compensation Rates
Monthly compensation for Tension Headaches, based on your overall combined VA disability rating.
| Rating | Monthly (Alone) | Monthly (w/ Spouse) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | — | $2,165.04 |
| 20% | $356.66 | — | $4,279.92 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $6,629.64 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $9,550.08 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $13,594.80 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $17,220.24 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $21,701.40 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $25,225.80 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $28,347.60 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $47,262.96 |
Common Symptoms
Document these symptoms in your claim. The more thoroughly you describe how they affect your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Functional Limitations
VA rates disabilities based on how they limit your ability to function. Describe these limitations in your personal statement.
Rating Criteria for Tension Headaches
Rating schedule under 38 CFR 4.124a, DC 8100 (rated by analogy to migraine; tension headaches have no dedicated diagnostic code). Criteria are simplified summaries; your specific rating depends on severity documented in your C&P exam.
Migraine with less frequent attacks than the 10 percent criteria.
With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over the last several months.
With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over the last several months.
With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.
Verified against 38 CFR Part 4, the official VA rating schedule. Reviewed July 2026.
Will adding Tension Headaches raise your rating?
Enter your current combined rating and the level this condition would rate at. We'll do the VA math.
New combined
10%
New monthly
$180
Change
+$180
Rates shown are the 2026 veteran-alone amounts (no dependents). VA combines ratings with "whole-person" math and rounds to the nearest 10, so adding a condition does not simply add its percentage. Full combined-rating calculator with dependents →
Peer-Reviewed Medical Evidence
Real, verified studies from PubMed/NIH that support a Tension Headaches claim. Bring these citations to your accredited VSO or C&P exam — they help show your condition is recognized in the medical literature and, where noted, linked to other service-connected conditions.
Headache, 2016 · PMID 27237921
Finding: In OEF/OIF veterans, those with deployment-related TBI had far higher headache burden than matched controls: chronic daily headache in 44% vs 7%, and severe/disabling headache at least 2 days/week in 54% vs 16% (OR 6.13, 95% CI 2.5-14.9). Onset followed the TBI in 89% of cases, and the burden persisted up to and beyond 11 years.
Why it helps: Supports an association between deployment-related head injury during service and chronic, disabling headaches in veterans, including tension-type headaches, that persist for over a decade.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2017 · PMID 28483652
Finding: In a prospective cohort of 2,566 VA veterans followed roughly 3 years, moderate/severe TBI history was significantly associated with greater headache severity in both cross-sectional (beta=0.66, P<.001) and longitudinal (beta=0.18, P=.04) analyses; headache outcomes were poor across all veterans evaluated for TBI.
Why it helps: Supports an association between service-related TBI and worse, persistent headache severity in veterans, useful where headaches followed an in-service head injury.
- Post-traumatic headachesDirect
Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 2015 · PMID 25701908
Finding: VA Polytrauma authors describe that headache is an exceedingly common complication of TBI (paradoxically more likely after milder TBI), that the typical clinical picture is a mixed disorder with tension-type and migrainous features, and that chronic headaches remain a long-term residual in up to 25% of patients.
Why it helps: Supports the link between in-service head trauma and ongoing tension-type headache features, and helps explain why post-traumatic headaches commonly become chronic.
Psychosomatic Medicine, 2021 · nexus to PTSD · PMID 33337593
Finding: Among 4,680 male twins in the Vietnam Era Twin Registry, PTSD was highly comorbid with tension headaches, and the genetic correlation between PTSD and tension headache was the strongest of all pain conditions studied (rg=0.75, 95% CI 0.52-1.00), indicating substantial shared genetic and environmental liability.
Why it helps: Supports a strong association between service-connected PTSD and tension headaches in a veteran sample, helpful for a secondary-service-connection theory.
- Tension-type headache associated with obstructive sleep apnea: a nationwide population-based studySecondary
The Journal of Headache and Pain, 2015 · nexus to obstructive sleep apnea · PMID 25896615
Finding: In a nationwide cohort (4,759 OSA patients vs 19,036 matched controls), tension-type headache prevalence was higher in the OSA group (10.2% vs 7.7%, p<0.001), and OSA was independently associated with developing TTH (adjusted hazard ratio 1.18, 95% CI 1.06-1.31).
Why it helps: Supports an association between obstructive sleep apnea and tension-type headache, relevant when sleep apnea is already service-connected.
- Sleep and Tension-Type HeadacheSecondary
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 2019 · nexus to sleep disturbance/insomnia · PMID 31144052
Finding: This review summarizes consistent evidence that tension-type headache is associated with sleep disturbances including insomnia, poor sleep quality, and insufficient sleep; sleep problems are more prevalent in people with TTH and the association is most robust in chronic TTH.
Why it helps: Supports an association between service-connected sleep disorders (insomnia, sleep apnea) and tension-type headache, particularly the chronic form.
Neurological Sciences, 2006 · nexus to depression/anxiety · PMID 16688633
Finding: This review describes a non-casual comorbidity between headache and depression and anxiety disorders, and notes that psychiatric comorbidity has also been described specifically for chronic tension-type headache and chronic daily headache in clinical populations.
Why it helps: Supports an association between service-connected depression or anxiety and chronic tension-type headache as part of a secondary-connection theory.
- Medication-Overuse HeadacheSecondary
StatPearls, 2023 · nexus to medications/medication-overuse · PMID 30844177
Finding: This review explains that patients with tension-type headache who overuse acute medications can drive a vicious cycle transforming episodic headache into chronic medication-overuse headache, and that even patients who take analgesics for other conditions can develop it.
Why it helps: Supports a theory that medications taken for service-connected conditions can aggravate or transform tension-type headaches into a chronic, more disabling pattern.
Every citation is real and verified against PubMed. This is general information, not medical or legal advice — your accredited VSO or representative can advise on your specific claim.
Evidence Checklist
Gather these types of evidence before filing your claim. The strongest claims include multiple evidence types.
Common Treatments
Documenting ongoing treatment strengthens your claim and supports higher ratings.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Tension Headaches
These conditions are commonly claimed as secondary to Tension Headaches. A secondary condition can increase your overall combined rating and monthly compensation.
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Related Guides
Tension Headaches as a Secondary Condition
Tension Headaches is commonly claimed secondary to these primary conditions:
Filing a Tension Headachesclaim? Don't skip these.
Most veterans filing for Tension Headaches should also be looking at:
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Start draftingNot legal or medical advice. Always have a VSO or accredited rep review before filing.
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Secondary Condition Claim Guides
Detailed guides on claiming each secondary condition linked to Tension Headaches.
Tension Headaches Claim Guide by State
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Educational content, not professional advice
This article is published by Military Transition Toolkit for educational and planning purposes. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. VA rating criteria, benefits, and regulations change — verify anything benefits-affecting against VA.gov, 38 CFR Part 4, or a VA-accredited representative (VSO, agent, or attorney) before filing.
MTT is a veteran-owned planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any military branch.