TDIU Eligibility Check
Find out if your service connected ratings meet the schedular thresholds for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability under 38 CFR 4.16(a). Add your ratings, and we will show you which path you qualify under, or why you do not.
Educational tool based on published VA rules. It does not review your records, prepare a claim, recommend what you personally should claim, or represent you before VA. For individualized help, talk to a VA accredited representative.
Your service connected ratings
Add one row per service connected condition. The body system and side help us check whether multiple ratings can be grouped under 38 CFR 4.16(a).
Grouping under 38 CFR 4.16(a)
VA can treat multiple disabilities as a single disability for the 60% schedular threshold when they fit one of these categories.
- Common forms VA uses for an Individual Unemployability claim: VA Form 21-8940 (Veteran's Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability) is the application, and VA Form 21-4192 (Request for Employment Information) is the form VA asks the most recent employer to complete.
- VA states that the evidence must show service connected disability prevents substantially gainful employment. Examples VA may consider include medical records, physician opinions, vocational assessments, and treatment records.
- If the schedular thresholds are not met, VA can still consider the claim on an extra-schedular basis under 38 CFR 4.16(b); an accredited representative can request that review.
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| Service connected ratings entered | 1 |
| Combined rating | 60% |
| Highest single rating | 60% |
| Currently in substantially gainful work | No |
| Single disability at 60% or more | Met |
| One at 40% or more, combined 70% or more | Not met |
| Grouping rule | Not applied |
- ▸You have one service connected disability rated at 60% (the rule requires at least 60% for a single disability). 38 CFR 4.16(a).
- ▸Common forms VA uses for an Individual Unemployability claim: VA Form 21-8940 (Veteran's Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability) is the application, and VA Form 21-4192 (Request for Employment Information) is the form VA asks the most recent employer to complete.
- ▸VA states that the evidence must show service connected disability prevents substantially gainful employment. Examples VA may consider include medical records, physician opinions, vocational assessments, and treatment records.
- ▸If the schedular thresholds are not met, VA can still consider the claim on an extra-schedular basis under 38 CFR 4.16(b); an accredited representative can request that review.
Questions veterans ask about TDIU
What is TDIU?
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability pays at the 100 percent rate when service connected conditions keep you from holding steady, substantially gainful work, even if your combined schedular rating is below 100 percent.
What are the schedular thresholds for TDIU?
Under 38 CFR 4.16(a), you generally meet the threshold to be considered if you have one condition rated at least 60 percent, or two or more conditions with a combined rating of at least 70 percent where at least one is rated 40 percent or more.
Can I get TDIU if I do not meet the rating thresholds?
Possibly. Under 38 CFR 4.16(b), VA can grant TDIU on an extraschedular basis when your conditions prevent gainful employment even though the percentages fall short. These are decided case by case and usually rest on strong evidence of how the conditions affect work.
Does part-time or marginal work disqualify me?
Not necessarily. VA looks at substantially gainful employment. Marginal employment, such as earnings below the federal poverty threshold or a protected job in a sheltered setting, generally does not count against a TDIU claim.