If you are working and functioning at a stable level, an increase claim only makes sense when you can document a real, sustained worsening that matches the rating schedule. If you cannot keep substantially gainful employment because of service-connected conditions, TDIU may be the correct tool. And if your records are thin, your conditions are stable, or you are worried about re-exam risk, “leave it alone for now” can be the most disciplined choice. You are not here to guess. You are here to understand. We follow VA logic step by step: (1) what the VA can rate higher, (2) what evidence you have today, (3) what filing could trigger, including re-exams of related conditions. No hype. No shortcuts. No confusion.
When you file anything at 90%, you are asking VA adjudicators to re-evaluate something. The clean way to decide is to separate three issues that veterans often mix together. 1) Severity: Do you have at least one service-connected condition that now meets the criteria for a higher percentage under 38 CFR Part 4 (the rating schedule)? This is the “increase” question. 2) Employability: Are your service-connected conditions preventing you from securing or following substantially gainful employment? This is the TDIU question. TDIU pays at the 100% rate if granted, even when your combined rating is below 100%. 3) Stability and re-exam risk: Are your conditions medically stable, well documented, and unlikely to look improved on a new C&P exam? This is the “should I open the file at all” question. These are separate lanes. You can be worse medically but still employed, or unemployed for reasons not clearly tied to service-connected conditions, or stable but under-rated. The decision changes depending on which lane you are actually in.
An increase claim is the right tool when you can show sustained worsening that maps to the rating criteria for a specific condition. It is not about “needing 10% more.” It is about whether your current symptoms match the next higher box in the schedule. A practical “increase-ready” checklist: • You have current treatment notes or specialist documentation showing worsening over time, not just one bad week. • Your symptoms line up with higher rating criteria (for example: more frequent prostrating migraine attacks, reduced range of motion measured in degrees, increased mental health occupational and social impairment). • You can describe functional impact clearly: work limits, missed time, safety issues, sleep disruption, inability to perform tasks. • Your evidence is consistent across records, not contradictory (for example: one note says “doing great,” another says “unable to function”). When an increase can be a bad fit: if your condition is variable and your records are sparse, the C&P exam can become the main evidence. That is not automatically fatal, but it raises risk if you cannot clearly explain flare-ups and worst-day function. Re-exam reality: Filing for an increase usually triggers a new C&P exam for the condition you are increasing, and sometimes related conditions. The exam is not a treatment visit. It is documentation for raters. If you file, you should be prepared to describe your worst days, frequency, severity, duration, and functional loss. (This is straight C&P logic: diagnosis plus functional impact for rating purposes.)
TDIU is designed for a specific situation: your service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment, even if your combined rating is less than 100%. It is not a “bonus” for being at 90%. It is a work-capacity determination tied to service-connected limitations. Two threshold concepts to understand: • Schedular TDIU (38 CFR 4.16a): generally requires either one disability at 60%+ or a combined 70%+ with one disability at 40%+. Many veterans at 90% already meet this threshold, but meeting it does not guarantee approval. • Extraschedular TDIU (38 CFR 4.16b): for veterans who do not meet the threshold but still cannot work due to service-connected conditions. This requires additional VA processing and is harder in practice. What “TDIU-ready” evidence looks like: • A clear timeline showing how service-connected symptoms interfered with work: reduced hours, write-ups, accommodations, job loss, or inability to maintain consistency. • Medical evidence that connects functional limitations to service-connected conditions (not just a diagnosis). • Employer statements or documentation when available (attendance records, performance issues, accommodations). • A consistent story: your treatment notes, your personal statement, and your C&P exam description all align. Common TDIU pitfalls at 90%: • You are unemployed, but the record does not show it is because of service-connected conditions. • You are working above marginal levels and the file does not support that the job is sheltered or heavily accommodated. • You focus on the rating percentage instead of specific job tasks you cannot perform (standing, concentration, reliability, interacting with others, lifting, driving, shift work, etc.). Re-exam risk with TDIU: TDIU claims often trigger exams for the conditions that allegedly prevent work. If your current ratings are based on old exams and you have minimal ongoing documentation, you are asking VA to take a fresh look with limited guardrails. That does not mean “do not file.” It means file with a complete, consistent record.
“Hold” is a decision, not a failure. It can be the smartest move when the upside is uncertain and the downside is real. Holding is often reasonable when: • Your conditions are stable and you are functioning at a level consistent with your current ratings. • You do not have strong, current evidence of worsening, and you are not in a position to build it quickly. • You are between providers, have gaps in care, or your records are inconsistent. • You are concerned about re-exam risk and you cannot clearly document ongoing severity. What to do while holding: • Build a clean paper trail: consistent treatment notes, medication history, therapy attendance, specialist referrals. • Track symptoms with dates and functional impact (especially for migraines, mental health, and flare-up conditions). • If you plan to file later, consider using an Intent to File to protect an effective date while you gather evidence. (Official VA rates and effective-date rules should be confirmed on VA.gov, since policies and tables can change: https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/.) Illustrative scenario: A veteran at 90% has back and radiculopathy ratings based on a 4-year-old exam. They are working full time but have increasing flare-ups. Records show sporadic urgent-care visits but no consistent documentation of functional loss. Filing immediately forces a new spine exam with minimal longitudinal evidence. A disciplined hold would focus on consistent treatment, documenting flare-ups, and then filing when the record can carry the claim instead of relying on one exam day.
Use this as a practical sort, not a legal conclusion. Step 1: Are you working at a level that is substantially gainful for you? • YES: Start by evaluating an increase (Path A) only if you can document worsening that matches the next rating criteria. • NO or barely: Go to Step 2. Step 2: Is your inability to work clearly due to service-connected conditions, supported by treatment notes and functional limits? • YES: TDIU (Path B) becomes a serious option. • NO or unclear: Holding (Path C) may be safer while you build documentation or clarify what is actually driving unemployability. Step 3: Medical stability check. • If your evidence is strong and consistent: filing is lower risk. • If your file is thin, inconsistent, or you have conditions that could look improved on a snapshot exam: consider holding, or build evidence first before you file. Step 4: Re-exam risk check. • Assume a new claim can trigger new exams. • If you are not prepared to explain worst-day function, flare-ups, and occupational impact clearly, you are not filing from a position of strength. This is the core principle: do not file because you are “close.” File because the evidence supports the next decision the VA has to make.
Pick the one condition you believe is most likely under-rated or most responsible for work limitations, then read the rating criteria and the DBQ questions for that condition. That is how you stop guessing and start aligning evidence to VA logic. Go to our Conditions Library at /conditions and open the page for your top condition. Compare your documented symptoms to the next higher rating criteria, then decide: increase, TDIU, or hold. No hype. No shortcuts. No confusion.