TDIU, or Total Disability Individual Unemployability, is a benefit that the VA offers to veterans who are incapable of securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment. In other words, if you can’t work because of your disabilities (even if they’re only as high as a 60% VA rating or 70% VA rating), you may be able to get TDIU which is the equivalent to a 100% VA disability rating.
There are two ways to qualify for TDIU: schedular and extraschedular. Schedular is the easier of the two, and only requires that you meet certain “rating requirements.” However, if you don’t meet those rating requirements, you can still qualify for extraschedular TDIU.
How to qualify for TDIU
The rating requirements for schedular TDIU are:
- If you have a single service-connected disability, it must be rated at 60% or higher.
- OR, If you have multiple service-connected disabilities, one of the disabilities must be rated at 40% or higher and your combined rating must be 70% or higher.
As mentioned above, even if you don’t meet those rating requirements, you can still qualify for “extraschedular TDIU.” It’s the exact same benefit (VA pays you at the 100% payment rate), but you have to jump through some extra hoops and it generally takes longer to win an appeal for extraschedular TDIU.
However, don’t let that deter you from applying. The bottom line is that if you have a service-connected disability that prevents you from working, even if it is only rated at 10%, you should apply for a TDIU.
How Much Does the VA Pay for TDIU?
The amount of money you will receive from the VA for a Total Disability Individual Unemployability rating depends on how many dependents you have. For a single veteran with no dependent in 2022, they receive $3,332.06 per month. That’s the same amount a veteran with a 100% schedular disability rating receives.
If you are married with children, each additional dependent will increase your payment by hundreds of dollars a month. Check out our VA compensation rates page here!
VA TDIU Income Limits for 2022
VA will typically look to see if you as the veteran are substantially and gainfully employed. For 2022, that number is $13,590 a year. If you are, your VA disability claim for TDIU will likely be denied.
Many veterans wonder what the income limits are for VA TDIU in order to ensure they do not make too much money and have their claim denied.
So again for the year 2022, if your income exceeds $13,590 a year the VA will likely deem you as employed and making a meaningful income.
If you earn less than this amount, then this might be considered marginal employment and then you may be able to apply for TDIU benefits.
Is TDIU rating permanent?
A Total Disability Individual Unemployability rating from the VA can be permanent, but not always. The VA will occasionally review a veteran’s case to see if their disability has improved to the point where they are able to work again.
Especially, if the VA sees that the veteran has been working and getting close to the poverty line.
If you have been rated TDIU and are worried about the possibility of your benefits being discontinued, continue seeking treatment for your condition. By doing this, you’re making sure there is documentation of how your disease or condition has progressed.
This can help show VA why receiving TDIU is vital to your life and that your condition has remained more or less static but still there or worsened. That way if VA ever questions your TDIU rating, you have readily-available evidence to submit.
