What Is a TDIU Vocational Assessment?

A TDIU vocational assessment is an independent evaluation used to analyze whether a veteran’s service-connected disabilities prevent them from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

While medical providers describe diagnoses and symptoms, a vocational expert evaluates how those conditions affect a veteran’s ability to perform real-world work.

What a Vocational Expert Evaluates

• Work history: Jobs previously performed and job duties.
• Education and training: Formal schooling and vocational skills.
• Transferable skills: Whether prior experience applies to other work.
• Medical limitations: Restrictions documented in medical records.
• Labor market realities: Availability of jobs consistent with limitations.

Purpose of the Evaluation

The goal is to determine whether a veteran could realistically maintain substantially gainful employment given their functional limitations.

Tip: Vocational evidence is often used when the VA claims a veteran can perform “sedentary work.”