What can I claim secondary to migraine?
8 conditions in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list migraine as a factor. If DVA has accepted your migraine, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionMigraine
- Conditions it may open8
- SourceRMA SoPs
- Chart Review$600 + GST
How a secondary claim works
Some Statement of Principles factors are not about service at all — they name another condition. Where DVA has already accepted your migraine, and another condition's SoP lists migraine as a factor, that part of the next claim is already established on your file. How a secondary claim works, in full →
Conditions that list migraine as a factor
Quoted from the instrument. A pathway existing is not the same as a claim succeeding — each factor carries thresholds your record has to satisfy.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
RH No. 56 of 2017 · BoP No. 57 of 2017
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (8): “having active migraine at the time of the clinical onset of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo” [clinical onset] — factor (19): “having active migraine at the time of the clinical worsening of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: active migraine is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
RH No. 45 of 2024 · BoP No. 46 of 2024
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (22): “having active migraine at the time of clinical onset” [clinical onset]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (19): “having active migraine at the time of clinical onset” [clinical onset]
Note: active migraine is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Panic disorder
RH No. 55 of 2018 · BoP No. 56 of 2018
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (12): “having migraine within the two years before the clinical onset of panic disorder” [clinical onset] — factor (24): “having migraine within the two years before the clinical worsening of panic disorder” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Restless legs syndrome
RH No. 113 of 2022 · BoP No. 114 of 2022
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (16): “having migraine at the time of the clinical onset of restless legs syndrome” [clinical onset] — factor (34): “having migraine at the time of the clinical worsening of restless legs syndrome” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Retinal vascular occlusion
RH No. 50 of 2020 · BoP No. 51 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (13): “having migraine at the time of the clinical onset of retinal vascular occlusion” [clinical onset] — factor (35): “having migraine at the time of the clinical worsening of retinal vascular occlusion” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (12): “having migraine at the time of the clinical onset of retinal vascular occlusion” [clinical onset] — factor (32): “having migraine at the time of the clinical worsening of retinal vascular occlusion” [worsening]
Systemic sclerosis
RH No. 25 of 2018 · BoP No. 26 of 2018
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “being treated with an ergot alkaloid for migraine, for at least the ten years before the clinical onset of systemic sclerosis” [clinical onset] — factor (8): “being treated with an ergot alkaloid for migraine, for at least the ten years before the clinical worsening of systemic sclerosis” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Note: ergot alkaloid is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
Tinnitus
RH No. 84 of 2020 · BoP No. 85 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (24): “having migraine or tension-type headache before the clinical onset of tinnitus” [clinical onset] — factor (62): “having migraine or tension-type headache before the clinical worsening of tinnitus” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (19): “having migraine with brainstem aura (basilar migraine) before the clinical onset of tinnitus” [clinical onset] — factor (50): “having migraine with brainstem aura (basilar migraine) before the clinical worsening of tinnitus” [worsening]
Vascular neurocognitive disorder
RH No. 9 of 2023 · BoP No. 10 of 2023
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (17): “having at least one migraine per year for at least 5 years before the clinical onset of vascular neurocognitive disorder” [clinical onset] — factor (36): “having at least one migraine per year for at least 5 years before the clinical worsening of vascular neurocognitive disorder” [worsening]
This factor appears in the Reasonable Hypothesis instrument only, which applies to operational service.
Other accepted conditions that also open benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions migraine does.
What DVA means by migraine
A claim is tested against the definition first. If the diagnosis on your file does not meet this wording, the factors below never get reached — so it is worth checking that what your doctor wrote matches what the instrument requires.
Migraine, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, migraine: (a) means migraine without aura, migraine with aura (which includes basilar migraine, sporadic hemiplegic migraine and retinal migraine), chronic migraine and vestibular migraine; and (b) excludes familial hemiplegic migraine, abdominal migraine, migrainous infarction, amaurosis fugax, cluster headache, tension-type headache, headache attributable to structural abnormalities or inflammatory disorders of the head and neck, and headache attributable to systemic disease. Compilation No. 2 Compilation date: 23/03/2020 Authorised Version F2020C00214 registered 23/03/2020
Note the exclusion. This instrument expressly excludes familial hemiplegic migraine, abdominal migraine, migrainous infarction, amaurosis fugax, cluster headache, Tension-type headache, headache attributable to structural abnormalities or inflammatory disorders of the head and neck, and headache attributable to systemic disease. A diagnosis of that is not a diagnosis of migraine, and a claim framed the wrong way fails on the definition before any factor is considered.
Aggravation-only factors. In this instrument, subsections 9(3) to 9(6) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, migraine where it was already present before or during service. If service caused migraine outright, those factors are not available to you.
RH No. 7 of 2018 · BoP No. 8 of 2018 · 4 factors
What could support a claim for migraine?
The Statement of Principles for migraine names 1 other condition among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a migraine claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (2): “having severe and persistent asthma within the five years before the clinical onset of migraine; (2a) having concussion or moderate to severe traumatic brain injury before the clinical onset of migraine, where migraine has developed within the seven days of: Compilation No. 2 Compilation date: 23/03/2020 Authorised Version F2020C00214 registered 23/03/2020 (a) injury to the head; or (b) regaining consciousness following the injury to the head; or (c) discontinuing medication that impairs the ability to sense or report headache following the injury to the head” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “having severe and persistent asthma within the five years before the clinical worsening of migraine; (4a) having concussion or moderate to severe traumatic brain injury before the clinical worsening of migraine, where migraine has worsened within the seven days of: (a) injury to the head; or (b) regaining consciousness following the injury to the head; or (c) discontinuing medication that impairs the ability to sense or report headache following the injury to the head” [worsening]
Reviewed by Dr Thomas Perkins
Founding doctor, Veterans Health Centre · former RAAF aviation medical officer · 13 years working exclusively with ADF members and veterans. Full profile →
Migraine accepted?
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