VA Form 21-8940, Explained — TDIU Application

VA Form 21-8940 (Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability) is how you apply for TDIU — being paid at the 100% compensation rate because your service-connected conditions prevent substantially gainful employment, even if your combined rating is below 100%.

What the form asks

• •Your service-connected conditions and how they limit your ability to work.
• •Your employment history — jobs held, earnings, and why you left or had to stop.
• •Your education and training.

The companion form

The VA typically sends VA Form 21-4192 to your former employers to verify your work history and the reasons employment ended. Lining up that information helps your claim.

Who qualifies

Under 38 CFR § 4.16(a), you're generally considered if you have one condition rated 60%+, or two or more conditions combining to 70%+ with at least one at 40%+. Even below those thresholds, § 4.16(b) allows an extraschedular path when your conditions still prevent gainful work.

What "substantially gainful" means

It's about whether you can hold the kind of steady job that earns above the federal poverty threshold — not whether you can do any task at all. Marginal employment doesn't disqualify you.

Tip

The strongest TDIU claims clearly tie the inability to work to the service-connected conditions — not to age or non-service issues — often with medical and vocational evidence.