TDIU Vocational Services provides independent vocational assessment reports for veterans and attorneys nationwide, with a focus on employability analysis in VA disability claims, including Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). Our work is grounded in structured vocational methodology and delivered by a credentialed expert with over 25 years of professional experience.
The firm's work is led by Jackie Schabacker, a vocational expert and vocational consultant with more than 25 years of professional experience evaluating how medical conditions affect an individual's ability to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment. She holds one of only two vocational credentials recognized by the Social Security Administration and has worked on hundreds of TDIU and disability matters across all 50 states.
Over the course of her career, Jackie has provided vocational consulting and expert testimony across a wide range of disability and legal contexts, including:
Jackie holds four professional credentials that collectively span vocational rehabilitation, mental health counseling, and social work — bringing a uniquely complete perspective to disability employability analysis.
One of only two credentials recognized by the SSA for vocational expert testimony in disability hearings.
Graduate-level academic foundation in rehabilitation counseling and vocational assessment methodology.
State-licensed clinical credential that informs understanding of psychiatric and psychological functional limitations.
Provides broader context for evaluating the social and environmental factors affecting employment capacity.
TDIU Vocational Services applies a structured vocational methodology to every case. Each evaluation typically includes a comprehensive review of the medical and vocational record, transferable skills analysis, labor market research, and an objective vocational opinion addressing employability within the modern labor market.
Our evaluations are designed to provide clear, well-supported vocational opinions that help veterans, attorneys, and decision-makers understand how functional limitations translate into real-world employment barriers.
Comprehensive review of medical records, C-file documentation, treatment notes, and functional capacity evaluations.
Classification of past relevant work using O*NET and DOT occupational frameworks to identify skill sets and physical demands.
Systematic evaluation of whether skills from prior work transfer to alternative occupations given the veteran's functional limitations.
Assessment of the realistic availability of jobs in the national economy that the veteran could obtain and maintain.
A clear, signed opinion letter addressing the veteran's ability to maintain substantially gainful employment — formatted for VA, BVA, or CAVC submission.
TDIU Vocational Services works with veterans and VA disability attorneys across the United States, providing independent vocational assessments prepared to the evidentiary standards commonly relied upon in disability proceedings. We operate in all 50 states and work directly with attorneys at the regional office, BVA, and CAVC levels.