TDIU Benefits Explained – How to Qualify for 100% VA Pay Without a 100% Rating

What Is TDIU?

Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) means the VA pays you at the 100% disability rate if your service-connected conditions make it impossible to keep substantially gainful employment.

For 2025, “substantially gainful” means earning more than about $15,500 a year for one person. That’s the federal poverty line. If you’re under that because your service-connected conditions keep knocking you out of jobs — or make it impossible to even start one — you might qualify.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

To qualify under the VA’s schedular rules (38 CFR § 4.16(a)):

• One service-connected disability at 60% or higher, or
• Two or more service-connected disabilities with a combined rating of 70% or more, and at least one rated 40% or higher.

Extraschedular TDIU

If your ratings don’t meet the above numbers, you can still get TDIU under 38 CFR § 4.16(b). The VA calls this extraschedular.

Here’s the catch: your case gets bumped to the VA’s Director of Compensation Service. And yes, these are harder to win — you’ll need rock-solid evidence.

• 50% migraines + 10% tinnitus — migraines keep you in bed several days a week.
• 40% back injury + 20% nerve damage — can’t sit, stand, or lift long enough to hold any job.

Be specific about your limits:

• I can’t sit more than 20 minutes without pain.
• I miss 3–4 days a month because of migraines.
• My meds make me too drowsy to drive or operate machinery.
• I can’t walk more than 100 feet without stopping.
• My PTSD symptoms make it impossible to be around crowds.

What the VA Really Means by “Unable to Work”

The VA is asking: Can you get and keep a steady job that pays more than the poverty line?

• Your work history – what jobs you’ve had, what skills you have, and if your conditions rule them out now.
• Medical evidence – doctor’s notes, C&P exams, test results that show exactly what you can’t do.
• Daily life impact – how your conditions affect focus, stamina, mobility, reliability.

Marginal employment doesn’t count:

• Odd jobs or part-time gigs under the poverty line.
• “Sheltered” work — like a family job where you’re not expected to keep normal hours or duties.

Applying for TDIU

You need to send in:

• VA Form 21-8940 — your TDIU application.
• VA Form 21-4192 — sent to past employers for work info.

Be specific about your limits:

• I can’t sit for more than 20 minutes without severe back pain.
• I miss two or more days a week from migraine attacks.
• Crowds trigger panic attacks, so I can’t do customer service work.
• I can’t lift more than 10 pounds.
• I lose focus after 10 minutes because of PTSD.

• Get your doctor to connect the dots between your condition and your work limits.
• If you can, get a vocational expert report — it carries weight.
• Check and recheck your forms. Missing info is a delay magnet.

Common Mistakes That Sink TDIU Claims

• Not sending VA Form 21-8940.
• Thinking your word is enough — you need medical and/or vocational proof.
• Giving up after a denial — appeal instead.
• Leaving out job history details.
• Bringing up non-service-connected conditions — it muddies the waters.

Related Benefits You Might Unlock

• DEA (education benefits for dependents)
• CHAMPVA (health care for certain dependents)
• Commissary & Exchange access
• Property tax breaks, vehicle registration discounts, free or reduced public transit/toll passes in many states

Bottom Line

TDIU is a lifeline for vets who can’t work because of service-connected disabilities but don’t hit 100% on paper. The win comes from knowing the rules, proving your case with solid evidence, and not quitting after the first “no.”