Why Hire A Vocational Expert For A TDIU Claim

For veterans who suffered injuries that are preventing them from finding employment, receiving VA benefits is the last hope. For instance, receiving Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) benefits will provide the same amount of benefits to a veteran who can’t find employment due to their injury at the same level as an individual with a 100% disability rating.

This may help veterans who are experiencing hardships finally move on from past events and gain a semblance of normalcy. 

However, receiving VA TDIU benefits is by no means an easy feat. It may require veterans to leverage a vocational assessment to prove their condition is service-related and that it inhibits them from finding employment.

Let’s go over the key information regarding vocational assessment and provide you with the average vocational expert for VA TDIU cost.

What is a Vocational Assessment?

Vocational assessment is a service that can help provide the VA with valuable information concerning a TDIU case. More precisely, it can determine the legitimacy of the veteran’s service-related disabilities and help demonstrate the impact of the injury on securing employment. 

VA decision-makers typically rely on the expert opinion of medical professionals to ascertain if a veteran can obtain substantially gainful employment. The problem here is that medical workers are often unfamiliar with vocational experience to determine if the injury in question is impeding the veteran from finding work. 

Thus, the opinion of a vocational expert is often necessary to bridge the gap between physical and psychological limitations and the vocational limitations associated with the current labor market. 

The process of vocational assessment consists of many steps and follows a strict methodology that adheres to VA requirements by addressing the key questions presented in the context of TDIU claims. The assessment is structured by topic and the starting point is the reason for the referral. The findings will be compiled in a report that includes all records relevant to the TDIU matter.

Furthermore, the report will include a review of all the medical and psychological records, along with an interview with the veteran in regard to their work and educational history, physical limitations, and the symptomatology of the disability. 

What is the Residual Functional Capacity?

The information mentioned above will be used to identify the veteran’s Residual Functional Capacity (RFC). This determination represents the claimant’s functional ability in relation to the disabling condition. 

RFC is not limited to just the physical but also applies to mental challenges that manifest in restrictions on certain work-related actions. For a TDIU claim, it’s necessary to match the RFC to the past work that the veteran has completed and to define the functional demands of each job with a Dictionary of Occupational Titles. 

If current functional limitations eliminate past work, the vocational expert must perform an analysis of transferable skills on the work performed in the last fifteen years. If a veteran has no transferable skills, it’s necessary to consider unskilled jobs in the current labor market that are possible for a person with a particular RFC. 

Lastly, the vocational expert must analyze the labor market and the availability of jobs in the current economy. They will have to cite specific records to support the established RCF and if it’s found that there are no available jobs for a particular RFC, it’s safe to assume that the veteran is unable to find work. 

How VA Evaluates TDIU Claims

It’s often challenging for VA to evaluate TDIU case records without the aid of a vocational expert. This is because the information contained in such records is often disorganized and contradictory, thus making it difficult to establish an exact RFC. 

For example, the veteran may have a history of working with specific arrangemenets (which doesn't represent the full extent of the job) or a variety of unsuccessful work attempts. This makes it close to impossible to effectively analyze the restrictions of the claimants. 

In short, vocational experts have the necessary skills to identify not only the RFC of the veterans but also to determine how their condition impacts their ability to earn an appropriate level of income. If the claimant simply can’t find gainful employment that is below poverty level, they’ll qualify for the 100% TDIU rating.

Ultimately, the vocational expert for VA TDIU cost is more than justified.

How Much Does a Vocational Assessment Cost?

Despite the benefits, hiring a vocational expert is expensive. At the moment of writing, the average vocational expert for VA TDIU cost is around $5k, with an additional $1k necessary if the expert is to testify in front of the administrative law judge. 

But is this worth it? 

Yes. Hiring a vocational expert is the only way to paint a full picture of your disability to the VA and convince them that you deserve to receive a 100% amount of benefits. The vocational expert will get to know you on a personal level, and as such, will be able to include any information missing in your documentation and account for all the limitations that you may have. 

For instance, they’ll go beyond just the physical limitations and will assess the effects of the pain medication on your ability to complete tasks, follow intricate instructions, and your ability to focus. They’ll also evaluate your ability to effectively communicate with coworkers and ascertain whether you can adapt to the stressors of the modern workplace.

This is by far the only way to accurately and realistically describe your employability in connection to your service-connected condition. 

So once again, a vocational expert for VA TDIU cost is more than worth it, and considering you’ll exponentially increase your chances of locking down your benefits, we’ll go as far as to say that hiring an expert is an absolute necessity. 

Bolster Your VA TDIU Claim

You fought hard for your country and you suffered the consequences. This is why it’s only fair for the government to support you financially now that you’re unable to do so yourself. We aren’t talking about a handout - receiving TDIU benefits is something that you earned with your blood, sweat, and tears, and a vocational expert can help prove that. 

Regardless of the vocational expert for VA TDIU cost, you should hire the best professionals that this country has to offer. Here at Occupational Assessment Services (OAS), we’ve been helping veterans with our vocational services for over two decades and during that time, we’ve had the satisfaction of working with clients around the country to receive favorable benefits. 

Call 800-292-1919 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment now and get the benefits you fought hard for. 

Note: 

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not make legal decisions based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.