Skip to content

VA Disability Compensation

Individual Unemployability (TDIU)

Compensation at the 100% rate, $3,938.58 a month for a veteran alone, for a veteran whose service-connected disabilities keep them from holding a steady job, without changing the rating itself.

Also called: TDIU, IU, unemployability, total disability individual unemployability, 100% rate.

For: Veteran or service member.

Where it applies

Applies in states and territories.

Federal

Individual Unemployability pays disability compensation at the 100% rate when service-connected disabilities prevent a veteran from keeping substantially gainful employment. Odd jobs and marginal employment, such as work in a family business or a sheltered workshop, do not count against it. The schedular gate in 38 C.F.R. 4.16(a) is either one service-connected disability rated 60% or more, or two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one rated 40% or more and a combined rating of 70% or more. Disabilities of one body system, or from a common cause, can count as one disability for this test. VA can also grant it on an extraschedular basis below those ratings, for example when frequent hospitalization keeps a veteran from working. The combined rating does not change. VA pays the 100% rate, which for a veteran alone is $3,938.58 a month from December 1, 2025, with the dependent amounts that go with it. Many state benefits treat an IU award as the same as a 100% rating, but not all of them do; each state entry in VetTOC says which. Apply on VA Form 21-8940 with an employer statement on VA Form 21-4192. VA may ask each year for an employment questionnaire.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
Gate	Rule
Schedular rating gate	One disability at 60% or more, or a combined 70% with one disability at 40% or more. An extraschedular award below that is possible, so the filter uses the lowest schedular floor and does not hide the entry for an unanswered rating.
Unable to keep substantially gainful work	VA decides whether service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment.

Documents the source lists

What the official source lists for an application, and where to get each document. It is a reference read from the source, not a full list of what the office may ask for; check with the office or an accredited representative before you apply. Needed means the source asks for it; Helps means the source calls it optional or says it speeds things up.

Needed Veteran’s Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability (VA Form 21-8940)
Where to get it Download it from VA.gov, or ask a VA regional office or an accredited representative for a copy.
Listed by VA, Individual Unemployability if you can’t work read 2026-10-10
Needed Request for Employment Information in Connection with Claim for Disability Benefits (VA Form 21-4192)
Where to get it Download it from VA.gov, or ask a VA regional office or an accredited representative for a copy.
Listed by VA, Individual Unemployability if you can’t work read 2026-10-10
Needed Evidence that your disability keeps you from steady work, such as a doctor’s report or medical test results
Where to get it The doctors and hospitals that gave the care. VA’s own records come from your VA facility’s release of information office or My HealtheVet.
Listed by VA, Individual Unemployability if you can’t work read 2026-10-10

Figures

Each figure is dated with the day it was read. A local figure moves whenever the statute or the local ordinance does, so confirm it with the office that grants it before you rely on it. Statute verified gives the day the weekly section check last found the statute standing on the legislature’s own code site; a figure without it rests on a statute the check does not read yet.

Dated figures for Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
Figure	Amount	Read from
Rate paid, veteran alone, effective December 1, 2025	$3,938.58 a month38 C.F.R. 4.16; 38 U.S.C. 1114(j)	Current Veterans disability compensation ratesRead 2026-10-08

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-08.

What changed then:

First published.

Request an update

Out of date, a broken link, or something else wrong? Say what you found, and an editor checks it against the official source.

Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.