TDIU VA Claim Guide: Get 100% Pay Without a 100% Rating
If your service-connected disabilities prevent you from holding a steady job, you may qualify for Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU)—compensation at the 100% rate even if your combined rating is lower. This field manual shows you how to file VA Form 21-8940, document your work history, and prove unemployability under 38 CFR 4.16.
TDIU pays $3,938.58 per month (2026 rate, single veteran) when your disabilities make it impossible to maintain substantially gainful employment. You don't need a 100% schedular rating—you need evidence that your conditions prevent you from working.
Pair this brief with the VA Disability Calculator to verify your rating thresholds, and use the Claim Prep Checklist to organize your employment records and medical evidence before filing.
- Know the thresholds: schedular TDIU requires one disability at 60%+ OR a combined 70%+ with one condition at 40%+. Use the calculator to check where you stand.
- Document unemployability: gather termination letters, reduced hours, accommodations requested, and statements from supervisors explaining why your disabilities prevent steady work.
- Complete the right forms: VA Form 21-8940 is your TDIU application; VA Form 21-4192 requests employment verification from past employers.
- Protect your award: the VA monitors TDIU income annually. Understand the $15,650 income threshold and protected work environment rules before accepting any job.
Key takeaways
- TDIU pays at the 100% rate ($3,938.58/month in 2026) even if your combined rating is lower—the key is proving your disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment.
- Meet the schedular thresholds: 60%+ single disability OR 40%+/70%+ combined. Extraschedular TDIU exists for exceptional cases below these thresholds.
- File VA Form 21-8940 with detailed employment history and medical evidence showing how your disabilities interfere with work capacity.
Situation Brief
TDIU bridges the gap between your current rating and the 100% compensation you deserve when disabilities prevent work. In FY 2024, over 370,000 veterans received TDIU benefits—making it one of the most impactful VA programs for those who can no longer maintain employment due to service-connected conditions.1
Signals You Need This
- Your service-connected disabilities prevent you from maintaining a steady job, but your combined rating is below 100%.
- You've been fired, forced to reduce hours, or required extensive accommodations at work due to your disabilities.
- You meet schedular thresholds (60% single OR 40%+/70% combined) and want to maximize your compensation while you can't work.
- You're considering an increase claim to reach TDIU thresholds—both strategies can work together.
Stay on Course
Start documenting your employment struggles now. Every termination, accommodation request, and missed workday builds your TDIU case. The VA wants to see that your disabilities—not the economy, not personal choice—prevent you from working.
- Gather your last five years of employment records: start/end dates, wages, hours worked, reasons for leaving.
- Collect medical evidence showing how your disabilities impact occupational functioning—not just diagnosis, but functional limitations.
- Consider a vocational expert evaluation to counter weak C&P exam opinions about your work capacity.
If you're still working but struggling, document everything. Reduced hours, accommodations, and performance issues all support a future TDIU claim.
Prep Checklist
Before filing for TDIU, stack the evidence that proves your disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment.
- File an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) to lock in your effective date while you gather TDIU evidence.
- Verify your combined rating meets schedular thresholds using the VA Disability Calculator—60% single OR 40%+/70% combined.
- Download and review VA Form 21-8940—understand what employment history you'll need to provide.
- Compile your last five working years of employment: employer names, addresses, job titles, wages, hours, and reasons for leaving.
- Gather termination letters, performance reviews, accommodation requests, and any documentation of reduced hours due to disability.
- Collect medical records that describe functional limitations—focus on how disabilities affect your ability to perform work tasks, not just diagnosis.
- Consider obtaining a vocational expert opinion if you anticipate a weak C&P exam or have a complex employment history.
- Prepare lay statements from family, former coworkers, or supervisors describing how your disabilities interfered with work.
VA Form 21-8940 asks for your last five working years—not the last five calendar years. If you haven't worked since 2020, you'll provide employment data from 2015-2020.
Step-by-step playbook
- Verify rating thresholds: Use the VA Disability Calculator to confirm you meet schedular TDIU requirements: one disability at 60%+ OR combined 70%+ with one condition at 40%+. If you're close but not there, consider filing an increase claim first.
- Document employment struggles: Compile your five-year work history with specific details: why you left each job, hours reduced, accommodations needed, and how disabilities affected performance. The VA needs to see a pattern of unemployability.
- Complete VA Form 21-8940: Fill out the TDIU application carefully. Section 2 asks which service-connected disabilities prevent work—be specific. Section 3 requires detailed employment history for your last five working years.
- Request employer verification: VA Form 21-4192 goes to your former employers to verify your employment history. The VA may send these automatically, but proactively contacting employers can speed up the process.
- Submit medical evidence: Include treatment records, DBQs, and any medical opinions that describe functional limitations. A statement from your treating physician explaining why you can't maintain employment carries significant weight.
- Prepare for the C&P exam: The TDIU C&P exam focuses on functional capacity, not diagnosis. Describe your worst days, explain how symptoms interfere with work tasks, and don't minimize limitations. Bring your employment documentation to the exam.
Keep employment records, medical evidence, and vocational opinions aligned so the VA has a clear picture of why your disabilities—not other factors—prevent substantially gainful employment.
Evidence Arsenal
Organize your proof to show the VA a clear employment trajectory impacted by service-connected disabilities.
Documents to Gather
- Employment records: termination letters, performance reviews, accommodation requests, reduced-hour agreements, and resignation letters citing health.
- Medical records: treatment notes describing functional limitations, medication side effects affecting work capacity, and any work restrictions from physicians.
- Vocational expert reports: professional opinions on your employability given your disabilities, age, education, and work history—these can counter unfavorable C&P exams.
- SSDI approval letters: if you receive Social Security Disability, include the approval letter—it's supporting evidence (though VA and SSA have different standards).
- Lay statements: written accounts from family, former coworkers, or supervisors describing how your disabilities affected your work performance and attendance.
Templates & Tools
- Claim Prep Checklist to track TDIU exhibits and submission dates.
- Lay statement templates for describing functional limitations and work impact.
- VA Disability Calculator to verify your combined rating meets TDIU thresholds.
- VA Form 21-8940—the official TDIU application.
- Increase Rating Playbook—if you need to boost ratings to meet TDIU thresholds.
Income threshold reminder: Once approved for TDIU, you must stay below $15,650/year (2025 federal poverty level) in earned income—or work in a protected environment. The VA monitors this annually via Form 21-4140.
Intel & Tools
TDIU claims hinge on employment evidence as much as medical records. Stay organized and proactive.
- Employment history is critical: the VA scrutinizes your work record. Gaps, terminations, and reduced hours all support your case—document them thoroughly.
- Know the income rules: TDIU recipients must earn below $15,650/year or work in a protected environment. Self-employment and family businesses may qualify as protected work.
- SSDI and TDIU stack: you can receive both Social Security Disability and TDIU simultaneously with no offset. Apply for both if eligible.
- Watch for permanence: look for "Eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) is established" on your decision letter—this indicates permanent TDIU status.
- Respond to VA Form 21-4140: the VA sends annual employment questionnaires. Respond promptly to avoid TDIU termination proceedings.
- Consider increase claims: if you're close to TDIU thresholds, an increase claim for worsening conditions can push you over the line.
Update your employment evidence whenever your work situation changes. If you stop working, start working, or change jobs, document it and notify the VA if required.
Next Actions & Support
Stay Organized
- Track your TDIU claim status weekly at VA.gov and respond to evidence requests within 30 days.
- Keep copies of all employment records in a dedicated folder—you'll need them for appeals or future reviews.
- If approved, monitor your income carefully. Earning above $15,650/year outside a protected environment can trigger TDIU termination.
More Routes
- File an increase claim if you need to boost ratings to meet TDIU thresholds before applying.
- Claim secondary conditions that may push your combined rating higher—many TDIU applicants have multiple interrelated disabilities.
- File a supplemental claim if your initial TDIU application is denied—new employment evidence or vocational opinions can change the outcome.
Resources
TDIU Claim FAQs
What's the income limit for TDIU in 2025?
Can I work part-time and keep TDIU?
What's the difference between TDIU and 100% schedular?
Do I need to meet the schedular thresholds for TDIU?
Stay in the TDIU Intel Loop
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