The VA annual clothing allowance
Veterans whose service-connected condition requires an appliance or skin medication that damages clothing may be eligible for an annual allowance, verify with your VA medical center.
What qualifies
Under 38 CFR §3.810, the allowance covers a veteran whose service-connected condition requires a qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, including a wheelchair, that tends to wear or tear clothing, or a prescribed skin medication that causes irreparable damage to outer garments.
Any rating level can qualify if the appliance or medication condition is met, and a high rating with no qualifying appliance does not. More than one allowance can be paid when multiple qualifying appliances or medications affect different types of garments.
The amount and the deadline
The allowance is $1,053.19 per year effective December 1, 2025, adjusted with the annual cost-of-living adjustment. It is not automatic: the application (VA Form 10-8678) goes to the prosthetics service at your VA medical center by August 1 each year.
Your VA medical center's prosthetics service decides. Verify your appliance or medication qualifies with them before the deadline.
See it next to everything else your rating may open
The Benefits Explorer lists this program beside the rest of the federal set, and your state’s verified programs, keyed to your combined rating. Educational only. Every program is decided by the agency named on it.