Only income earned from working will affect your TDIU

 Dear Jim,

I want to thank you for all your help you give to vets. I follow your site and I recommend it as much as I can. I wrote you some time ago concerning my own claims and I wanted to let you know I have been granted 100% IU.

Just some numbers which concern my own case. This email may aid other vets with similar circumstances.These are not paid of course at same percentage.You know v.a. Math and all :). I was 40% for wounds then filed for ptsd and a medical problem I had since nam last year. On that claim You may be interested that I was first granted 50% ptsd and 50% for medical condition, rhinitis and sinusitis which the v.a. Said was highest allowable by law for me.

I did have a record of problems and complaints to medics while I was in R.V.N. So had a track record. Nothing helped more than over four dozen pages of my medical history from my own outside the v.a. Doctor. So I was increased to two new different ratings at 50% each. This time paid at 90%.I then made claim for increase in ptsd/I.U. I was increased to 70% for ptsd and awarded I.U. Total time with help from my outside doctor some really knowledgeable vets and your site was 27 months.

You are most correct in telling vets there is no way to move up your case. I did go to a Senators office for help. Cannot say if it helped or hindered as I was never updated by that office.The main v.a. Calling center number is good if you like to be messaged and feel good. They do not know and don't have quite a bit of info they would need to help you figure out if your claim is moving along etc. Just as you always say. Also award letter does not state " permanent and total " although it states the article code.

One question I would ask is to "keep" your I.U. You of course need to submit your form each year but does the fact you have social security check and a small pension check coming in every month show you have above allowable income to remain 100% I.U. ?. This will solve a question in my mind as I don't no any other vets who even think about things in detail like I do. Always thinking to be one step ahead of the pack so to speak.

A reply would be appreciated when you get a chance and I'll pass info along to others I can help. Thanks again for your support. Will keep referring others and hope they read up as they should so they can answer most questions for themselves. As always I thank you again...

Reply,

Thanks for your kind words. I'm always pleased to hear that the VAWatchdog site has helped another veteran to resolve his or her VA disability claims.

I'll refer you to 2 pages on my web site...

http://www.vawatchdog.org/permanent-and-total---p---t-.html

and

http://www.vawatchdog.org/tdiu-unemployability.html

The yearly 4140 form appears to be in a process of phasing it out. There has been no official word from VA yet but they aren't sending them to anyone these days.

Income that isn't derived from "gainful employment". In other words, you can win big in Las Vegas or take home the Lotto and that income won't affect your TDIU status.

If you didn't work for it, it isn't gainful employment. Only income earned from working will affect your TDIU.