The VA clothing allowance: yearly payment for braces and skin medications
· Claim Situation
The situation
If a brace, prosthetic, wheelchair or prescribed skin medication for a service-connected condition damages your clothes, you may get a yearly lump-sum payment. It is separate from your monthly check and doesn't come automatically.
Who qualifies
Under 38 CFR 3.810, Veterans who wear or use a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (including a wheelchair) that wears or tears clothing, or use prescribed medication for a service-connected skin condition that permanently damages outer garments.
More than one allowance
- Each device or medication that damages a different type of clothing can qualify separately.
- Two devices damaging the same garment can qualify for two allowances in some cases.
How to apply
Use VA Form 10-8678, through your VA prosthetics office. Details at VA.gov clothing allowance.
The August 1 date
- The allowance is tied to an August 1 anniversary date.
- Generally, file within one year of the August 1 date your eligibility begins. The window runs through July 31 of the following year.
- If you missed this year, you may still have time; see 3.810(c).
How much
The amount rises with the annual COLA. Check VA.gov for the current figure.
Related
Get free help
You never have to pay to file an initial VA claim. Free help: a VSO such as DAV, VFW or the American Legion, or a VA-accredited representative.
Educational only, not legal or medical advice. We are not VA-accredited. No one can promise an outcome; VA decides each claim on its own evidence. Rules and rates change; check the linked VA and eCFR sources.