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DMQ from Neurologist - Migraine rating question

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Johhny_Drama

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I went to a Neurologist last week and explained that i suffer from headaches leading back to when I was in the military and listed this as a issue when I was exiting. I got a zero percent and started appealing this decision. I printed out a DMQ and had this doctor fill it out. He listed tension headaches and rebound headaches due to the fact i take certain over the counter meds like advil etc. He listed that he has prescribed me with a medication to treat this. I also saw where is listed that i get them more than 2 xtimes, on the sheet it was listed as the most severe as in i get them weekly. Prostrating was checked off on several boxes. When I look up the rating it says very frequent, completely prostrating, prolonged, productive of sever economic inadaptability. Listed that i may go home early on average once day a week. I may not leave, i might just have to sit in my office and close my eyes or take advil as its bad but its not like i have to leave every week.

My question is, i would not think i would qualify for the 50 percent range as I can work and i do not want to stop working but what if the VA did do 50 percent? Would this be an automatic TDIU? or would it more likely be rated at the 30 percentage? I am hoping the meds they prescribed help as these tension like buildups are awful. Also, do i need to submit additional information or would this DMQ from my neuro work?

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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder

It depends on which fields in the DBQ were checked.

Let's take a look at the rating criteria:

8100   Migraine:  
With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability 50
With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over last several months 30
With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over last several months 10
With less frequent attacks 0

The 10% and 30% criteria are based on the average frequency of your attacks. This is why keeping a migraine diary can be very important.

The 50% criteria is a bit trickier because it is vague and open to interpretation. The part that stands out is "productive of severe economic inadaptability". This is a fancy way of saying they affect your ability to work. However, it doesn't state you must not be working to qualify.

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18 hours ago, Vync said:

It depends on which fields in the DBQ were checked.

Let's take a look at the rating criteria:

8100   Migraine:  
With very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability 50
With characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on an average once a month over last several months 30
With characteristic prostrating attacks averaging one in 2 months over last several months 10
With less frequent attacks 0

The 10% and 30% criteria are based on the average frequency of your attacks. This is why keeping a migraine diary can be very important.

The 50% criteria is a bit trickier because it is vague and open to interpretation. The part that stands out is "productive of severe economic inadaptability". This is a fancy way of saying they affect your ability to work. However, it doesn't state you must not be working to qualify.

I reviewed the checked boxes : checked other as in averaging more than once a month - wrote in 4 days a week. Does this affect work- Checked yes, and wrote in that patient leaves work on average early 1 day per week. I do not suffer bad enough to where i can not go to work therefore there is no severe economic etc.. but who knows how they will rate this. Doc has prescribed medication, checked of prostrating attacks greater than what the 30 percent list and does affect job to a point where i have left or needed to take a timeout as my head was banging.

 

As for diary. would i need to just do this for the next several months delaying a claim appeal ?? I can do it for a month but i would rather not wait a very long time unless it was deemed necessary. i wish i knew this as i would have kept one for sure. I just don't want to submit this DMQ and get denied because i was not keeping a diary of my headaches.

 

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23 hours ago, Johhny_Drama said:

... but who knows how they will rate this

You are correct about this. We can trust they will do the right thing, but with the strange way they determine 30% or 50%, who knows. 

The migraine diary is not required, but can be beneficial if the VA gives you trouble about frequency and severity of the attacks. The VA denied my migraine claim initially, then on appeal gave me the lowball 10% rating. Between the time of my claim and denial, I kept a brief migraine diary and submitted it with my appeal. They granted me 30%. This is a situation where the VA can rate based on documented evidence. It's not like you will go to the doctor every time your head hurts. Yes, when you go to the VA neurologist, they will have you fill out a questionnaire form and add the results to your records. Having the diary is something you personally can send in to help.

You might consider looking into reasonable accommodations under the ADA which could help alleviate your symptoms. There are some requirements depending on the kind of employer you have, but you can find more info at the Job Accommodation Network (www.askjan.org). Just remember they are advisors, not enforcers.

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I will keep a diary and plus I left the form with my neurologist who filled this out and even stated it impacts job as I will sometimes have to leave work early and plus they prescribed medication. I will wait another month in order to have some sort of diary to provide but I think a professional neurologist should suffice. If they ask me to take a c&p I will make sure to ask for that persons credentials.

 

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