tdiu Help Understanding Tdiu

[DeeDee]

one 40 percent disability in combination, the following will be considered as one disability: (1) Disabilities of one or both upper extremities, or of one or both lower extremities, including the bilateral factor, if applicable, (2) disabilities resulting from common etiology or a single accident

I need help understanding the above. I need 40% for one disability to file. Does the above mean if all the ratings in both my arms come to 40% I can file?

What does disabilities resulting from a common etiology or single accident? I am at 50% all service connected for the same accident but for different body parts.

I have claims pending, it is possible I will reach 70%, but not 70 or 40 for one disability.

Need some answers quick, my PCP wants to take me out of work and I have to decide this week :{

I'm so tired of waiting on the VA to do whats right!

[Berta]

Dee Dee -if your PCP is willing to write that your SC disabilities prevent you from being employed- that is all you need to get them to consider you for TDIU.

You should file the formal TDIU form the last day you work-attach the doctor's statement on this and tell them how your SC meds also affect your ability to work. The hard part is- in spite of a good medical opinion (and I would hope the PCP covers all the points needed) it will still take time - to be rated and awarded.

And even with great med opinions, the VA can still deny.

This is the glitch many are in who are barely able to work yet cant file for TDIU until they are no longer employed.

I would go to any good SSA web site too if I were you to see if you could possibly get SSA for total disablity.

Whatever award comes first can be used to support the other award especially in your case where the disabilities all seem to be service connected.

[john999]

Dee Dee

What the VA can do at times is admit you are unemployable but try and attribute it to some non-service connected cause. They did this to me even though I was rated 70% SC. Do like Berta says and apply for SSDI if you are not working. I know they go back 6 months from the time you were disabled and that is a waiting period before you can start getting paid.