VA Disability Compensation
TDIU: Individual Unemployability
What Is TDIU and Who Qualifies?
TDIU, or Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, lets VA pay you at the 100% rate if your service-connected disabilities keep you from holding a steady job, even when your combined rating is lower. You generally need one disability rated 60% or more, or two or more with one at 40% or more and a combined rating of 70% or more. In 2026 the 100% rate is $3,938.58 a month for a veteran alone. Check where your ratings land with the VA combined rating calculator.
What TDIU Means
TDIU stands for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability. VA’s own pages call it Individual Unemployability. It’s a way for VA to pay you at the 100% rate when your service-connected disabilities keep you from holding a steady job, even if your combined rating is lower than 100%.
VA puts it plainly: with Individual Unemployability, the amount of your monthly payment changes, but your disability rating stays the same. A veteran rated 70% who’s granted TDIU keeps a 70% rating on paper and is paid at the 100% level.
Why it exists: the rating schedule’s percentages reflect the average loss of earning capacity a condition causes. When your service-connected disabilities in fact keep you from steady work, VA policy under 38 CFR 4.16(b) is that you should be rated totally disabled.
If you’re new to VA benefits, start with the VA disability compensation overview and how VA disability ratings work.
TDIU Rating Requirements
You need to meet both parts: the work test and the rating test.
The work test. You can’t keep a steady job that supports you financially, known as substantially gainful employment, because of your service-connected disabilities. Odd jobs, called marginal employment, don’t count.
The rating test. You meet one of these two paths:
| Path | Rating requirement |
|---|---|
| One disability | At least 1 service-connected disability rated 60% or more |
| Two or more disabilities | At least 1 rated 40% or more, and a combined rating of 70% or more |
Source: VA, Individual Unemployability; 38 CFR 4.16(a).
Remember the combined rating comes from VA’s table, not simple addition. Two 40% ratings combine to 64, which rounds to 60%: that’s short of the 70% needed on the second path. A 50% and a 40% combine to exactly 70, which qualifies. Test your own numbers with the VA combined rating calculator.
When Several Conditions Count as One
The one-disability path is easier to reach than it looks, because 38 CFR 4.16(a) lets VA treat some groups of disabilities as a single disability for the 60% (or the 40%) requirement:
- disabilities of one or both arms, or one or both legs, including the bilateral factor;
- disabilities from a common cause or a single accident;
- disabilities affecting a single body system, such as orthopedic, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular-renal or neuropsychiatric;
- multiple injuries incurred in action;
- multiple disabilities incurred as a prisoner of war.
For example, if both knees and a hip are rated separately, they can count together as one disability of the lower extremities when VA checks the 60% threshold.
What Counts as Substantially Gainful Work
The key question is whether you can hold a job that supports you, not whether you’ve worked at all.
- Substantially gainful employment is a steady job that supports you financially. If your disabilities prevent this, you may qualify.
- Marginal employment doesn’t count against you. Under 38 CFR 4.16(a), it generally exists when your earned yearly income doesn’t exceed the Census Bureau’s poverty threshold for one person. The regulation also allows marginal employment in a protected setting, such as a family business, even above that amount.
When VA decides, it looks at your service-connected disabilities and your work and education background, including the kind of work you did and why it ended. Under 38 CFR 4.19, unemployability caused by advancing age can’t be the basis for a total rating. And when you meet the percentages, 4.16(a) says VA disregards non-service-connected disabilities.
If Your Ratings Don’t Meet the Thresholds
Falling short of the percentages doesn’t close the door. Under 38 CFR 4.16(b), VA’s policy is that every veteran who’s unable to secure and follow substantially gainful work because of service-connected disabilities should be rated totally disabled. Veterans who are unemployable but don’t meet the percentages are referred to VA’s Director, Compensation Service, for extra-schedular consideration.
VA’s own page adds that in certain cases, such as needing to be in the hospital often, you may qualify at a lower rating. If your ratings are below the thresholds, an accredited representative can help you decide whether to apply.
How to Apply for TDIU
You apply with two forms:
- VA Form 21-8940, the Veteran’s Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability. You fill this out with your work and education history and the disabilities that keep you from working.
- VA Form 21-4192, the Request for Employment Information in Connection with Claim for Disability Benefits. VA uses it to get employment information from your employers.
Send evidence that your disabilities keep you from holding a steady job, such as a doctor’s report or medical test results. VA also reviews your work history and education.
An intent to file gives you 1 year to complete a claim. The guide to filing a VA disability claim covers the intent to file, the claim exam and decision reviews.
Evidence That Supports a TDIU Claim
The whole question is whether your service-connected disabilities keep you from steady work, so build your evidence around that:
- Medical evidence that describes how your conditions limit you, such as a doctor’s report or medical test results. VA names both on its Individual Unemployability page.
- Your work history. Form 21-8940 asks for it, and Form 21-4192 gathers employment information from your employers. Under 4.16(a), VA considers the nature of your past work and why it ended.
- Your education and training. VA reviews your education background. When a case goes for extra-schedular review, the regulation requires a full statement of your employment history and your educational and vocational attainment.
- Statements from people who know you. VA accepts supporting statements from family, friends, clergy, law enforcement or people you served with. A former supervisor or coworker can describe what happened when you tried to work.
VA may also schedule a claim exam. Go to it, and reschedule at least 48 hours ahead if you must.
TDIU Compared With a 100% Schedular Rating
| TDIU | 100% combined rating | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Unable to keep substantially gainful work because of service-connected disabilities, plus the rating thresholds or extra-schedular review | Combined rating that rounds to 100% on VA’s table |
| Your rating | Stays the same | 100% |
| Monthly pay | Paid at the 100% rate | The 100% rate |
| Full VA dental care (Class IV) | Yes, if not based on a temporary rating | Yes, if not based on a temporary rating |
| VA health care priority group 1 | Yes | Yes |
Source: VA Individual Unemployability, dental care and priority group pages; 38 CFR 4.16.
Family programs such as CHAMPVA use VA’s definition of a permanent and total disability: one VA has rated as 100% disabling and not expected to improve. Check each program’s own rules before you count on it, and ask VA or an accredited representative whether VA considers your disability permanent and total.
What TDIU Pays in 2026
TDIU pays at the 100% rate. These are the main 100% amounts, effective December 1, 2025:
| Your household | Monthly payment at the 100% rate |
|---|---|
| Veteran alone | $3,938.58 |
| With spouse | $4,158.17 |
| With 1 child only | $4,085.43 |
| With spouse and 1 child | $4,318.99 |
| Each additional child under 18 | add $109.11 |
| Each additional child over 18 in school | add $352.45 |
| Spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | add $201.41 |
Source: VA, veterans disability compensation rates effective December 1, 2025.
For comparison, a veteran alone rated 70% gets $1,808.45 a month and at 90% gets $2,362.30. The full tables are on the 2026 VA disability pay rates page.
Health Care and Other Benefits With TDIU
TDIU brings more than the monthly payment:
- VA health care priority group 1. VA places veterans it has found unemployable because of a service-connected disability in priority group 1, with no copay for any medications.
- Full VA dental care. Veterans who are unemployable and paid at the 100% rate because of service-connected conditions qualify for Class IV dental care, which covers any needed dental care. A temporary 100% rating, such as during a long hospital stay, doesn’t qualify.
Some family benefits depend on a permanent and total rating rather than TDIU alone, so check each program’s rules. The 100% rating benefits guide lists them.
Keeping TDIU and Working Again
VA may send you an Employment Questionnaire (VA Form 21-4140) to confirm your employment status. Return it when asked, and answer every question about any work you’ve done.
If you’re thinking about going back to work, plan first. Earning above marginal employment can affect TDIU. Your state’s vocational rehabilitation agency can help with job planning, and an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative can explain how a job could affect your benefits, for free. If you also receive Social Security disability, SSA has separate work rules; see working while on disability. State benefits for disabled veterans vary; your state page is a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does TDIU Change My Disability Rating?
No. VA says that with Individual Unemployability the amount of your monthly payment changes, but your disability rating stays the same.
Can I Work at All on TDIU?
You can't have substantially gainful employment, meaning a steady job that supports you financially. Marginal employment, such as odd jobs, doesn't count against you. Under 38 CFR 4.16, marginal employment generally exists when your earned yearly income doesn't exceed the Census Bureau poverty threshold for one person.
Is TDIU the Same as a 100% Rating?
It pays at the same level as a 100% rating, but your rating stays where it is. Some benefits treat the two alike; for example, VA's full dental coverage (Class IV) includes veterans paid at the 100% rate because of unemployability.
What if My Ratings Are Below the Thresholds?
VA can still consider you. Under 38 CFR 4.16(b), veterans unable to work because of service-connected disabilities who don't meet the percentages are referred to VA's Director of Compensation Service for extra-schedular consideration. VA also says that in certain cases, such as needing frequent hospital stays, you may qualify at a lower rating.
Does VA Check Whether I'm Still Unemployable?
VA may ask you to complete an Employment Questionnaire (VA Form 21-4140) to verify your employment status. Return it when VA asks.
Who Can Help Me Apply for TDIU for Free?
Accredited Veterans Service Organization representatives. VA says their help with claims is always free. This page explains the rules; for advice about your own claim, talk to an accredited representative.
More on VA Disability Compensation
- VA Disability BasicsVA disability compensation: service connection, ratings, monthly pay and how to file
- VA RatingsHow VA assigns ratings, combines them with its table and rounds the result
- 2026 VA Pay Rates2026 VA compensation rates by rating, with spouse, child and parent amounts
- Filing a VA ClaimFiling a VA disability claim, the intent to file, evidence, and options after a decision
- 100% Rating BenefitsWhat a 100% VA rating brings: 2026 pay and the related federal benefits
- SSDIHow Social Security Disability Insurance works: work credits, the disability test, the waiting period, amounts and Medicare
This guide explains official rules in plain language. It isn't legal advice, and only the agency that runs a program can decide your case.