How to Apply for TDIU (VA Form 21-8940)

The application for TDIU is VA Form 21-8940, the application for increased compensation based on unemployability. It looks simple, but the way you complete it shapes the whole claim. The form asks about your disabilities, your work history, your income, and your education. Every answer either supports unemployability or quietly undercuts it. This guide walks through the form section by section and shows you what evidence to attach.

Before you start, confirm you meet the rating gates or that you are pursuing the extraschedular path, and gather your work and medical records so the form matches your evidence.

01
What Form 21-8940 does

Form 21-8940 formally raises the TDIU issue and gives the VA the facts it needs to judge unemployability. It is the difference between hoping the VA infers TDIU and clearly asking for it. Filing it also triggers the VA to contact your former employers, usually with Form 21-4192, to verify why you stopped working.

02
The disability section

List the service connected conditions that prevent you from working, and name the treating providers. Be specific about which conditions stop you from working and how. Do not list nonservice conditions here, since they cannot support TDIU and only muddy the record.

03
The employment history section

The form asks for your work over the last five years, including employers, dates, hours, time lost due to illness, and your highest gross earnings. Accuracy matters. This section shows the decline in your ability to work, so include reduced hours, missed time, and the point where work became impossible.

04
Explaining why you left work

There is a place to describe why you left your last job. Tie it directly to your service connected conditions. A clear statement such as I could no longer perform my duties because of my service connected condition is far stronger than a vague note about being laid off or retiring.

05
Education and training

The form asks about your education and any training. This helps the VA judge whether you could do other work. If your background limits you to physical jobs your conditions now prevent, or to work your mental health conditions make impossible, that context strengthens the claim.

06
Income and the marginal employment line

Report your current income honestly. If you earn below the federal poverty threshold for one person, that is marginal employment and does not disqualify you. Misreporting income is a serious error. The truth, correctly framed as marginal, protects the claim better than hiding it.

07
Evidence to attach

• A vocational or medical opinion on your inability to work
• Recent treatment records showing severity
• Lay statements from family or coworkers about your limitations
• Any employer documentation of accommodations or termination
• Your own statement connecting symptoms to specific job tasks

08
The Form 21-4192 follow up

After you file, the VA typically sends Form 21-4192 to your former employers to confirm the reason for your leaving and your final earnings. You can help by giving accurate employer contact information and, where possible, asking employers to respond promptly, since a missing 21-4192 can delay the claim.

09
Common mistakes that sink the claim

• Leaving the why you left work line vague or blaming a layoff
• Listing nonservice conditions as the reason you cannot work
• Underreporting missed time and reduced hours
• Misstating income instead of framing low earnings as marginal
• Filing the form with no supporting unemployability opinion

10
What happens after you file

The VA reviews the form, gathers employer responses, and may schedule examinations focused on how your conditions affect work. It weighs everything against the unemployability standard. A well completed form with strong evidence moves faster and is far more likely to be granted on the first decision.

11
Where to go from here

Complete Form 21-8940 carefully, keep every answer consistent with your evidence, and attach a solid unemployability opinion. Then understand the employer forms the VA will send.

Read the 21-4192 employer form and 21-4140 questionnaire guides next, and confirm eligibility in the requirements guide. See the full TDIU guide.

12
Frequently Asked Questions

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The VA Claims US editorial team helps veterans and their families understand and navigate the VA disability system. Our content is reviewed for accuracy against current VA regulations and updated whenever rates or policies change. Have a question? Contact our team.