TDIU Benefit Claims

An Essential Guide for U.S. Veterans

Total disability benefits based on individual unemployability (TDIU) are the highest level of VA compensation available to veterans. Even veterans with a combined rating of less than 100% can achieve a 100% disability rating through the TDIU benefits route. Winning VA TDIU benefits can be difficult.

VA denies hundreds of valid TDIU claims each year, preventing veterans from obtaining the benefits they deserve.

The VA denies TDIU benefits for numerous reasons, including lack of unemployability evidence, missing links between unemployability and disability, and failure to follow the VA claims process.

Proving you deserve TDIU benefits seems straightforward, but the VA wants to see specific evidence showing specific criteria. Proving your service-connected disability(s) prevents you from earning a living is often complicated. In most cases, veterans aren’t sure which disabilities to include or what types of evidence the VA requires.

To win TDIU benefits, veterans must understand the evidence required to prove eligibility and how to use that evidence to prepare a compelling claim.