Difference between TDIU and a 100% VA Disability Rating?
TDIU and 100% VA Disability Ratings have the same purpose: To provide you with financial assistance when you cannot work because of your disability.
A 100 percent disability rating is the highest assessment a veteran can receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If you are eligible, you will be granted monies for medical care, financial assistance, and more.
TDIU is different because it’s a way to calculate how much money you should receive from the VA based on your disability rating and income level. The higher your TDIU number, the more money you’ll get from the VA.
The VA will award a TDIU when it finds that the veteran has a disability that is not connected to military service but causes them not to work. This could be because of a physical disability, like blindness or deafness, or an emotional disorder like PTSD or depression.
The maximum benefit rate for TDIU varies depending on whether or not you are married and how many dependents you have in your household. If you do not have any dependents and are unmarried, then the maximum benefit rate is $2,788 per month as of 2019. However, if you are married but have no children living in your home at all times during each month of eligibility then your maximum monthly benefit is $3,849. If you have one dependent child in your household, then the maximum benefit rate is $4,517 per month; if you have two or more children living in your home at all times during each month of eligibility then the maximum monthly benefit rate is $5,637.
TDIU is a temporary benefit to help you get back on your feet, while you wait for your disability claim to be processed.