DISABILITYVA program
Annual Clothing Allowance
Annual payment to veterans whose service-connected skin condition or prosthetic/orthopedic appliance damages or causes unusual wear on clothing.
Available to veterans with qualifying service-connected skin condition or prosthetic use
Example value
~$997/yrPer qualifying prostheticStep-by-step guide
What VA looks for: A prosthetic or orthopedic appliance
- A service-connected conditionThe condition that calls for the appliance or medication is service connected, or treated as service connected under 38 U.S.C. 1151. If VA has not decided that yet, the disability compensation claim comes first.
- An appliance that wears or tears clothingYou regularly wear or use the appliance for that condition, and it tends to wear or tear your clothing. When the appliance is for a lost or unusable hand or foot rated for special monthly compensation, a VA exam or a hospital report can show this. Otherwise, your VA medical center certifies it.
Source: 38 CFR 3.810(a) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.810(a)(1) (opens in new tab)
Which kind of item damages your clothing?
- A prosthetic or orthopedic appliance
An artificial limb, brace, wheelchair, crutches, or other prosthetic or orthopedic appliance that you wear or use because of a service-connected condition, and that tends to wear or tear your clothing.
Source: 38 CFR 3.810(a) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.810(a)(1) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab)
- A skin medication
For a skin medication, stains that come out with regular washing or dry cleaning do not count. Your VA medical center certifies the damage.
- A prescribed skin medication that ruins outer clothingA physician prescribed the medication for a service-connected skin condition, and it damages outer clothing, like shirts or pants, beyond repair.
Source: 38 CFR 3.810(a)(1) (opens in new tab); M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab)
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your VA rating decision The VA decision letter that lists your service-connected conditions. | The service-connected condition behind the appliance or medication | VA already holds it in your file, and you can download decision letters on VA.gov. When VA service connects the loss or loss of use of a hand or foot, its decision letter tells you about the clothing allowance and includes VA Form 10-8678. | Yes |
| Records of the appliance Medical records, a VA exam, or a hospital report that show the prosthetic or orthopedic appliance you use and its wear on clothing. | The appliance, and that it wears or tears clothing | VA reviews its own records and exams, and VA medical center staff certify the appliance when that is needed. Name each appliance on VA Form 10-8678. | |
| Prescription records for the skin medication Records of the medication a physician prescribed for your service-connected skin condition. | The medication, and that it ruins outer clothing | VA medical center staff review the prescription and certify the damage to outer clothing. Name each medication on VA Form 10-8678. | |
| Application for Annual Clothing Allowance VA Form 10-8678. For each appliance or skin medication, it asks for the service-connected condition it is for and the part of the body it affects. | Each item that damages your clothing, and the condition behind it | Apply online on VA.gov, mail it to the VA Claims Intake Center, fax it, or bring it to the prosthetic representative at your local VA medical center. |
Records and statements go to VA. BeneVets never asks you to upload or type them here.
Steps, in order
- Get the condition service connected first
A clothing allowance starts from a service-connected condition. If you have not filed a disability compensation claim for it, file VA Form 21-526EZ first.
Source: VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); VA Form 21-526EZ (opens in new tab)
- Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
- Note each item that damages your clothing
For each appliance or skin medication, note the service-connected condition it is for and the part of your body it affects. VA Form 10-8678 asks for these details.
- Apply by August 1
Send VA Form 10-8678 by August 1 to be paid for that year. Apply online on VA.gov, mail it to the VA Claims Intake Center, fax it, or bring it to the prosthetic representative at your local VA medical center.
Source: VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.810(b) (opens in new tab)
- Tell VA about changes
Tell VA when you stop using an appliance or medication, since VA can stop or lower the payments when the rules no longer apply. Use VA Form 10-8678 again to ask for an added allowance or to end the allowance.
Source: VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab)
- If VA denies the allowance
Your VA medical center decides clothing allowance claims and handles a request to review its decision, such as a Supplemental Claim or a Higher-Level Review.
Source: M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab)
Good to know
Clothing allowance payments come due each August 1. VA.gov asks for your application by August 1 to be paid for that year, and VA holds applications it gets during the year until then. The regulation sets a 1-year filing period that starts August 1 and ends July 31. If VA first service connects your condition after an August 1, you can apply within 1 year of VA's notice of that decision.
Source: 38 CFR 3.810(b) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.810(c) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); VA.gov: special benefit allowance rates (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab)
VA pays a separate allowance for each appliance or skin medication that damages a different type of clothing. Two allowances can also be paid for one type of clothing when two items together wear it out faster than one would.
Source: 38 CFR 3.810(a)(2) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.810(a)(3) (opens in new tab); M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab)
Once VA approves a clothing allowance, it pays it each year without a new application, until you ask VA to stop or VA finds you no longer meet the rules. An added allowance for a new appliance or medication still needs an application.
Source: M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab); VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab)
Shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, shorts, and similar outer clothing count. Shoes, hats, scarves, underwear, socks, and similar items do not.
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 1, 2026: 38 CFR 3.810(a) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.810(a)(1) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.810(a)(2) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.810(a)(3) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.810(b) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.810(c) (opens in new tab), M21-1 XIII.i.8.A (opens in new tab), VA.gov: clothing allowance (opens in new tab), VA.gov: special benefit allowance rates (opens in new tab), VA.gov: download VA benefit letters (opens in new tab), VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab), VA Form 10-8678 (opens in new tab), VA Form 21-526EZ (opens in new tab)