Last updated June 2026 with the most recent poverty threshold figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. If you receive TDIU (a total disability rating based on individual unemployability), or you are thinking about applying, one number matters more than almost any other: the poverty threshold for one person. That figure sets the TDIU income limits […]

A vocational expert opinion is often the most important piece of evidence in a TDIU appeal. C&P examiners are medical professionals. They can evaluate the severity of your symptoms and describe your functional limitations. What they generally cannot do is determine whether those limitations actually prevent you from finding and keeping a job. That’s a […]

Veterans who are incapable of securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment may qualify for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (a “TDIU” or “IU”). If awarded a TDIU, a veteran will be paid at the 100% disability rate even though their combined disability rating is less than 100%. Substantially gainful employment is generally […]

A nexus letter is a medical opinion that links a veteran’s current condition to their military service or to another service-connected disability. VA doesn’t require you to submit one, but in many claims, particularly secondary service connection claims, claims filed years after separation, and appeals of prior denials, a nexus letter is the single most […]

The Compensation and Pension exam is, in many cases, the single most important event in a VA mental health claim. VA will generally give more weight to the C&P examiner’s findings than to your treating provider’s records, your lay statements, or anything else in the file. A good exam can result in an accurate rating […]

Many veterans who are unable to work due to service-connected disabilities are also eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance. The two programs are administered by different agencies, use different standards, and evaluate disability differently. But they are not mutually exclusive. In most cases, veterans can receive both TDIU and SSDI simultaneously, with no offset or […]

Getting a TDIU grant from VA is a significant win. It means VA has recognized that your service-connected disabilities prevent you from maintaining substantially gainful employment, and you’re now being compensated at the 100% rate. But the grant itself is only the beginning. There are several steps veterans should generally consider taking after a TDIU […]

If you have a service-connected physical disability and you’ve developed depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition because of it, you may be entitled to a separate VA disability rating for that mental health condition. This is called secondary service connection, and it’s governed by 38 C.F.R. § 3.310. The connection between chronic physical conditions […]

Under the AMA, the difference between a “new claim” and a “supplemental claim” can be worth years of retroactive compensation. A supplemental claim filed within one year of a VA decision preserves your original effective date. A new claim resets it. Until recently, VA took the position that the only way to file a valid […]

One of the most common reasons veterans don’t file for TDIU is because they think they can’t work at all and still qualify. That’s wrong. You can work and still get TDIU — as long as your employment is considered “marginal” under VA’s rules. The real question VA is asking is not whether you’re completely […]