VA Unemployability Benefits And Eligibility Criteria

VA Unemployability Benefits And Eligibility Criteria

Posted On: Apr 12, 2023

If you’re unable to continue employment due to your illness, injury, or medical condition linked with your military service, you can apply for Total Disability Individual Unemployability, also called TDIU.

Based on the details of your current situation, TDIU could offer unemployability benefits equal to a veteran getting total disability compensation.

Am I Eligible for TDIU?

If your military service-connected illness or injury stops you from earning a good living, and VA has not granted you the 100% disability rating, getting Individual Unemployability status can be suitable for you.

It enables VA to pay some disability compensation at a 100% rate, even if the agency hasn’t rated your service-connected disability (s) at the total level.

VA benefits specialists can advise you about your eligibility for IU (Individual Unemployability) and assist you in achieving this valuable compensation if you qualify.

They understand VA bureaucracy and the evidence needed for favorable VA benefit claim decisions for disabled veterans. Their goal for all disabled vet’s cases is to get the maximum benefits available to them.

VA needs veterans to prove their qualifications for disability benefits compensation —and even then, the agency often denies legitimate TDIU claims.

A professional VA disability case manager can help you prevent losing money because of that VA bureaucracy. 

You do not ve to do it alone. An expert VA disability benefits manager can fight for all the VA disability compensation you deserve.

Qualifying for the VA Individual Unemployability (IU) Benefit

Individual Unemployability benefit is somewhat like a loophole for every disabled veteran in a VA system.

It enables a total VA disability rating for compensation (100%) to be granted to veterans when their primary disability rating is below the total based on the VA rating schedule.

The VA’s IU benefit, often referred to as Total disability based on Individual Unemployability, is according to the vet’s inability to manage “substantially gainful employment” because of a service-connected injury or illness.

VA regulations need the veteran to get at least one service-connected disability rating of 60% or more.

Alternatively, if a vet has several disabilities, at least one must be rated at 40% or more. Also, the vet’s disabilities must have a combined rating of about 70% or more.

Exceptions to the Minimum VA Rating

Veterans who don’t meet their minimum disability rating requirements to qualify for IU can be considered if they demonstrate unusual or exceptional circumstances.

For instance, they could display that their disabilities directly influence their employability or need hospitalization often enough to make their steady employment impractical.

The veteran’s benefits claim must prove that their service-connected disability or disabilities are “enough, without regard to different factors, to avoid performing their mental or physical tasks needed to keep or get substantially gainful employment.”

Additional Considerations for TDIU Eligibility

VA disability benefits raters are trained professionals to consider Individual Unemployability benefits only in unusual or exceptional cases.

Examiners also need to consider the veteran’s age and distinguish between their inability and retirement due to age as opposed to the actual service-connected disability leading to unemployability.

As in other cases, VA benefit claims examiners can ask for additional details at any time to clarify or supplement the vet's claim evidence. It, of course, slows the claims process.

A VA disability specialist's primary goal is to prevent unnecessary rejection or delays of the IU benefits claim.

They may do so by recognizing and getting all required records to ensure every benefit claim they maintain is clear, thorough, and convincing.