Answers to Veterans’ Common Questions on IU Benefits

Total Disability Individual Unemployability, VA Unemployability, TDIU Benefits, and IU Benefits are all other names for Individual Unemployability.

Individual Unemployability Benefits are for veterans with employment issues resulting from disabilities connected to their military service.

No.  However, most veterans that we help do have a combination of mental and physical disabilities.

The VA considers only two types of conditions for IU Benefits: Direct Service Disabilities & Secondary Service Disabilities.

The VA is very careful in considering IU Ratings, and many veterans must go into the appeals process.  This is very common.  You can appeal your denial within one year.  Note the date listed on your Rating Decision Letter from the VA, as this tells the deadline by which you must file an appeal.  If this deadline lapses, you can apply again, starting the process from the beginning.

If it has been over a year since you received your rating decision, you can file an Increased Rating Application. 

Since Individual Unemployability Benefits pay veterans at the 100% VA disability rate, it does not really make sense to apply for IU if you are receiving a 100% rating.  There is the additional chance that upon re-reviewing your documentation the VA may actually decrease your monthly benefits. 

No.  The VA views most conditions as able to be improved with treatment. 

Yes.  However, this greatly weakens the argument that you cannot work, since you have a job.  This makes your application much more likely to be denied.  Your income relative to the poverty level will affect your ability to receive benefits.  There are two types of jobs you can hold while receiving IU benefits: marginal employment or a protected sheltered work environment.  If you have a Marginal job, you earn at or below the poverty level in the same year as your effective date.  If you have a Sheltered job, you require accommodations at your job, and most examples involve family or friends employing a veteran to help out at their business in a case where that veteran is otherwise unemployable. 

No.  While the VA will not consider your assets, they will consider your income level in the year of your effective date.  Help you receive from friends or family is not considered income under the VA’s rules. 

Yes, you can get both benefits at the same time.  Social Security has two types of benefits: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).  SSI considers your income limits, so our focus would be on SSDI, which is for people who have worked.  It involves work credits.  TDIU and SSDI benefits are completely separate programs with very little overlap in rules, eligibility, and guidelines.  Claims are processed differently, and Social Security claims are typically settled far in advance of VA claims.  Also note that while the use of drugs or alcohol to self-medicate would not disqualify your VA claims, such behaviors can hurt your Social Security claim.  Your work credits from time spent in the military work in favor of your eligibility for Social Security. 

This varies and can be affected by your effective date, or date of application.  Veterans’ disability appeals, which often take 4 years from the start of the appeals process, can result in several years’ worth of back pay.  In appeals taking 4 years, this may be in excess of $100,000. 

A college degree does not prevent you from receiving IU Benefits.  This question is the result of a rumor that is especially common among veterans that have worked in service organizations, but it is not true. 

Yes, you can apply repeatedly if you have a previous claim that is closed. 

National Guard and Reservists veterans are eligible for IU Benefits if they were activated by the federal government.  However, activation by the state government does not make one eligible. 

The Individual Unemployability requirements are (1) you must be a veteran to get IU Benefits and (2) you must have one 60% service-connected disability or two or more service-connected disabilities with one rated at 40% and a combined VA disability rating of 70% to qualify for IU Benefits.