VA TDIU approval rate: what 61,746 Board decisions show
VA doesn't publish a TDIU approval rate. At the Board of Veterans' Appeals, 64.0% of final decisions on TDIU were grants, and 50.6% of all TDIU rulings sent the issue back to VA instead of deciding it. Counting remands, the Board granted 31.6% of TDIU appeals, February 2021 to April 2026.
- 64.0%of final TDIU decisions were grants (27,823)
- 50.6%of TDIU rulings were sent back to VA
- 31.6%granted, counting remands (56,359 decided)
- 742 daysmedian Board wait for a TDIU appeal under AMA
Key findings
- When the Board decides TDIU, veterans usually win. 64.0% of 27,823 final decisions were grants. 11.6% of grants covered only part of the period on appeal.
- Half of TDIU rulings aren't final. The Board sent TDIU back in 50.6% of decided appeals. The most common reason was that TDIU depended on another rating or service connection issue still being decided.
- TDIU alone moves faster. When TDIU was the only issue, the Board sent it back 29.1% of the time and granted 44.9%. With other issues on the same appeal, it sent TDIU back 59.6% of the time.
- Outcomes improved over time. The Board granted 28.9% of TDIU appeals in 2022 and 35.4% in 2025.
- Vocational and private medical opinions stand out. Final decisions that discussed a vocational expert were grants 79.0% of the time.
- Branch made little difference. Final grant rates were within 1.5 points of each other across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
TDIU outcomes at the Board
"Final grant rate" leaves out remands, so it answers how often the Board granted TDIU when it made a final call. "Granted" counts remands in the denominator and matches how Claim Raven reports every other Board grant rate.
| Group | Decided | Granted | Sent back | Denied | Final grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All TDIU rulings | 56,359 | 31.6% | 50.6% | 17.8% | 64.0% |
| Current system (AMA) | 21,475 | 40.3% | 42.1% | 17.5% | 69.7% |
| Legacy appeals | 34,883 | 26.2% | 55.9% | 17.9% | 59.3% |
| TDIU was the only issue | 16,563 | 44.9% | 29.1% | 26.1% | 63.2% |
| Other issues on the same appeal | 39,796 | 26.0% | 59.6% | 14.3% | 64.5% |
Outcomes by decision year
- 26.5% granted, 53.0% sent back, 20.5% denied
- 28.9% granted, 53.4% sent back, 17.7% denied
- 29.9% granted, 53.6% sent back, 16.5% denied
- 32.5% granted, 50.5% sent back, 17.0% denied
- 35.4% granted, 46.7% sent back, 17.9% denied
- 41.2% granted, 37.1% sent back, 21.8% denied
Partial years are labeled. Source: Claim Raven analysis of Board decisions.
| Group | Decided | Granted | Sent back | Denied | Final grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 (part of year) | 4,345 | 26.5% | 53.0% | 20.5% | 56.5% |
| 2022 | 14,032 | 28.9% | 53.4% | 17.7% | 62.0% |
| 2023 | 13,142 | 29.9% | 53.6% | 16.5% | 64.5% |
| 2024 | 12,119 | 32.5% | 50.5% | 17.0% | 65.6% |
| 2025 | 8,910 | 35.4% | 46.7% | 17.9% | 66.5% |
| 2026 (part of year) | 3,811 | 41.2% | 37.1% | 21.8% | 65.4% |
Board docket and wait times
Under the current appeals system you pick a Board docket. Wait is the time from the date the Board received the appeal form (the docket number) to the decision. The median TDIU wait was 742 days; half of appeals took between 265 and 1,234 days (24,624 appeals).
| Docket | Decided | Granted | Final grant rate | Median wait | Middle half of waits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct review | 7,482 | 36.8% | 64.1% | 511 days | 203 to 959 days |
| Evidence submission | 4,899 | 42.7% | 73.5% | 926 days | 216 to 1,253 days |
| Hearing | 5,236 | 42.7% | 71.3% | 1,004 days | 348 to 1,514 days |
Median Board wait for TDIU appeals, by decision year
Days from the Board appeal form to the decision, AMA appeals. Source: Claim Raven analysis of Board decisions.
Evidence and reasoning in final decisions
These tables compare final decisions (granted or denied) that discussed something with those that didn't, using only the paragraphs of each decision that discuss TDIU or gainful work. They show what went together, not what caused a grant. A decision can discuss evidence that hurt the claim as well as evidence that helped.
| The decision discussed | Final decisions | Final grant rate when discussed | When not discussed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A vocational expert or vocational assessment | 4,049 | 79.0% | 61.4% |
| A private medical or psychological opinion | 2,915 | 75.1% | 62.7% |
| Lay or buddy statements | 2,212 | 60.1% | 64.3% |
| Social Security disability records or benefits | 2,230 | 57.1% | 64.6% |
| A statement or letter from an employer | 344 | 56.4% | 64.1% |
| VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) | 278 | 48.6% | 64.1% |
| VA Form 21-4192 (employer information) | 1,763 | 45.5% | 65.2% |
| The decision discussed | Final decisions | Final grant rate when discussed | When not discussed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A high school education or GED | 5,688 | 70.0% | 62.4% |
| A college or higher degree | 2,771 | 62.9% | 64.1% |
| The decision discussed | Final decisions | Final grant rate when discussed | When not discussed |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Board said the veteran met the rating thresholds | 8,601 | 71.9% | 60.4% |
| A discussion of sedentary (desk) work | 9,021 | 68.9% | 61.6% |
| TDIU raised by the record (Rice v. Shinseki) | 11,868 | 66.7% | 61.9% |
| A Board hearing | 12,007 | 64.6% | 63.5% |
| Marginal employment or the poverty threshold | 16,779 | 63.4% | 64.8% |
| A protected work environment or family business | 13,604 | 63.0% | 64.9% |
| Ray v. Wilkie factors | 16,306 | 62.1% | 66.6% |
| Extraschedular TDIU under 38 CFR 4.16(b) | 12,229 | 54.7% | 71.2% |
| The Board said the veteran did not meet the rating thresholds | 4,817 | 47.9% | 67.3% |
Why the Board denied or sent back TDIU
Reasons in the findings of 10,027 TDIU denials
2,922 denials worded their reason differently and are not counted. A denial can give more than one reason.
Reasons in 27,875 TDIU remands
Read from the remand paragraphs that mention TDIU. A remand can give more than one reason.
Conditions on the same appeal
Which other conditions were on the same Board appeal as TDIU. This is the appeal, not a list of the conditions behind each TDIU claim.
| Also on the appeal | Share of TDIU appeals | Decided | Sent back | Final grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental health (PTSD, depression, anxiety) | 31.3% | 17,622 | 55.7% | 67.3% |
| Back or neck | 21.9% | 12,359 | 67.8% | 65.2% |
| Knee | 15.1% | 8,504 | 68.3% | 63.1% |
| Nerve conditions (radiculopathy, neuropathy) | 14.1% | 7,947 | 61.2% | 70.0% |
| Ankle or foot | 9.5% | 5,359 | 69.3% | 60.4% |
| Hearing loss or tinnitus | 9.3% | 5,243 | 65.2% | 62.1% |
| Heart or blood pressure | 8.9% | 5,034 | 64.7% | 65.3% |
| Migraines or headaches | 7.4% | 4,198 | 67.0% | 67.4% |
| Skin | 7.1% | 3,993 | 64.7% | 69.1% |
| Sleep apnea | 6.2% | 3,479 | 66.2% | 68.6% |
| Shoulder | 5.6% | 3,175 | 70.0% | 61.4% |
| Breathing (asthma, COPD, sinus) | 5.2% | 2,925 | 69.5% | 65.2% |
| Diabetes | 4.7% | 2,646 | 61.5% | 67.3% |
| Hip | 4.4% | 2,501 | 72.7% | 64.3% |
| Digestive (GERD, IBS) | 4.0% | 2,244 | 68.0% | 68.2% |
| Traumatic brain injury | 2.6% | 1,454 | 66.5% | 65.7% |
Branch and when service began
Read from the decision's service sentence, which names the branch in 22,567 decided appeals.
| Group | Decided | Granted | Final grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 12,468 | 32.2% | 64.5% |
| Navy | 3,802 | 31.6% | 64.2% |
| Air Force | 3,085 | 31.0% | 64.2% |
| Marine Corps | 3,002 | 31.9% | 65.7% |
| Coast Guard | 210 | 30.0% | 73.3% |
| Before 1964 | 3,290 | 36.9% | 65.0% |
| 1964 to 1975 (Vietnam era) | 21,668 | 35.1% | 66.6% |
| 1976 to 1990 | 16,573 | 28.6% | 62.8% |
| 1991 to 2001 (Gulf War era) | 5,178 | 26.7% | 58.9% |
| 2002 or later | 5,458 | 27.4% | 58.4% |
Method
Data. Claim Raven's library holds 501,131 Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. 94,152 of them (18.8%) mention TDIU or individual unemployability, and 61,746 (12.3%) ruled on whether the veteran was entitled to TDIU. Decision dates run from February 18, 2021 to April 30, 2026.
Outcomes. Each decision's TDIU outcome is read from the disposition paragraphs at the top of the decision (ORDER, REMANDED, DISMISSED). Only paragraphs that name total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) count. Effective date, reduction and fee issues are counted separately from entitlement to TDIU. Evidence and reasoning features come from the paragraphs of each decision that discuss TDIU or substantially gainful employment.
Rates. Favorable (granted in full, or granted for part of the appeal period) divided by decided (favorable + denied + remanded). Dismissed and withdrawn appeals are left out of rates. The final grant rate also leaves out remands. Groups with fewer than 100 decided appeals are not shown.
Check. Compared with the separately extracted outcome labels for the same decisions in Claim Raven's earlier analyzed subset. The two agreed on 99.5% of 369 decisions that both sources treated as a decided TDIU ruling.
Grain. One row per Board decision. A veteran can have more than one decision in the period, for example a remand and a later final decision.
What this is not
- It is not VA's regional office approval rate. Most TDIU claims are decided by VA and never reach the Board.
- It doesn't predict any one claim. Appeals that reach the Board are a selected group.
- Evidence and condition comparisons show association, not cause.
Update history
- October 2, 2026. First published. Every Board decision in the library that mentions TDIU, classified from the decision's own order.
Cite this page
Claim Raven. VA TDIU approval rate: Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions on TDIU, February 2021 to April 2026. https://claimraven.com/tdiu/approval-rate
For the rules, forms and how to apply, read the complete TDIU guide. For Board outcomes by condition, see VA disability statistics.
Claim Raven explains VA rules in plain English so you can work your own claim. It is not legal advice, and Claim Raven is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.