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TDIU: paid at 100% when you cannot work
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability pays the 100% rate to veterans whose service-connected conditions keep them from holding a steady job that supports them, even if the math only reaches 70%.
At a glance
| Rating needed | One condition at 60% or more; or a combined 70% with at least one condition at 40% (38 CFR 4.16(a)). Below that, VA can still grant it on an "extra-schedular" basis, but rarely |
| The real test | You cannot get or keep "substantially gainful" work because of service-connected conditions. Earning under the federal poverty line for one person is "marginal" and does not count against you |
| Pays | Same as 100%: $3,938.58 a month, veteran alone, effective Dec 1, 2025 |
| Forms | VA Form 21-8940 (you) and VA Form 21-4192 (your last employer fills it out) |
| Official page | va.gov individual unemployability |
What counts as "one condition" for the 60% / 40% test
The regulation lets you group: both arms or both legs together (with the bilateral factor), conditions from a common cause or a single accident, conditions in one body system, multiple injuries in action, or POW injuries. So two 30% knees can count as a single 51% condition. Check the math in the calculator.
Evidence that moves the needle
- Your Social Security earnings record (shows the income drop).
- A doctor's opinion that ties your service-connected conditions, not your age or other problems, to being unable to work.
- A vocational expert report. VA has no rebuttal expert for these.
- Statements from former employers or coworkers.
Traps
- TDIU and SSDI are different programs with different rules and words. Winning one does not win the other. Do not send the SSDI file to VA as-is.
- Working after TDIU: VA now matches wages with Social Security. If your income goes over the poverty line, VA sends a notice and you have 65 days to return VA Form 21-4140. Ignoring it stops the benefit.
- TDIU can be marked P&T. When it is, it unlocks CHAMPVA, Chapter 35, and most state 100% benefits. Ask for the P&T finding if your conditions are not expected to improve.
- You still have to be rated first. TDIU is added to an existing compensation award.
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.16 total disability ratings for compensation based on unemployability
- VA individual unemployability (page updated Apr 27, 2026)
- VA: verify individual unemployability status (page updated Mar 12, 2026)
- VA Form 21-8940 (form revised Jul 2024)
- VA Form 21-4192 (form revised Aug 2024)
All links checked and content verified on Oct 16, 2026. Rules change; confirm on the official page before you act.