The VA clothing allowance is a yearly lump sum for veterans whose service-connected condition requires a prosthetic or orthopedic device, including a wheelchair, or a prescribed skin medicine that wears out, tears or irreparably damages their clothing. For 2026, VA pays $1,053.19 per allowance, effective December 1, 2025. This VA clothing allowance calculator counts how many allowances your items may qualify for under 38 CFR 3.810, applies the reduction for time in jail or prison, and shows the filing window for each August 1 anniversary date.
List each device or skin medicine you use for a service-connected condition and the type of clothing it damages most. A device is a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, such as an artificial limb, brace or wheelchair.
| Allowance year | Rate effective | Amount per allowance | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (August 1, 2026) | December 1, 2025 | $1,053.19 | +2.8% |
| 2025 (August 1, 2025) | December 1, 2024 | $1,024.50 | +2.5% |
| 2024 (August 1, 2024) | December 1, 2023 | $999.51 | +3.2% |
| 2023 (August 1, 2023) | December 1, 2022 | $968.52 |
Amounts come from VA's current and past special benefit allowance rate pages. The statute, 38 U.S.C. 1162, still names $716 per year, and a note to that section in the U.S. Code points to VA's special benefit allowance rates page for the current amount. The change column is the increase from the year before.
Under 38 CFR 3.810(a), a veteran with a service-connected disability, or a disability compensable under 38 U.S.C. 1151 as if it were service connected, is entitled to one annual clothing allowance, paid in a lump sum, when either of these applies:
VA's application asks for each type of device, such as an artificial limb, brace or wheelchair, and each skin medication you use for a service-connected condition that damages or stains your clothing. You must have applied for disability compensation first.
The regulation allows more than one allowance in two situations:
| Your items | Allowances | 2026 total |
|---|---|---|
| One knee brace that wears out pants | 1 | $1,053.19 |
| Knee brace (pants) and back brace (shirts) | 2 | $2,106.38 |
| Leg prosthesis and a skin cream that both damage pants | 2 | $2,106.38 |
| Three items that all damage pants | 2 | $2,106.38 |
When items damage several clothing types and one type has more than one item, the regulation does not describe the mix directly. The calculator adds the allowances for each clothing type and flags the result.
August 1 is the anniversary date. The first lump sum became payable on August 1, 1972, and later annual payments become due on each anniversary date after that (38 CFR 3.810(b)). VA's page says to submit your application on or before August 1, 2026, to get a clothing allowance for this year. VA collects applications during the year, holds them until the August 1 closing date, and pays those who qualify between September 1 and October 31.
The regulation also sets a filing window. Under 38 CFR 3.810(c)(1), the application must be filed within 1 year of the August 1 anniversary date for which you first qualify; that period includes the anniversary date and ends on July 31 of the following year. A later application counts only for later anniversary dates. Under 3.810(c)(2), if VA first decides service connection for the qualifying disability after an anniversary date for which you qualify, you may file within 1 year of the date VA notified you of that decision.
Since a 2022 amendment, 38 U.S.C. 1162(b) says payments continue on an automatically recurring annual basis until you choose to stop them or VA finds you are no longer eligible. VA's page states that if you received a clothing allowance payment in 2022 or 2023, you no longer need to apply every year, but you do need to apply for an additional clothing allowance.
The law also sets up reviews. VA must require you to tell it when you stop wearing or using the device or medication, must periodically review its records, and may ask you to attest to continued use if you have received the allowance beyond the intended lifespan of the item. If your claim is based on wear or damage that may change, VA may require recertification no more than once a year. If VA decides you no longer qualify, it must send you notice and then stop the allowance.
If you are incarcerated in a federal, state or local penal institution for more than 60 days and the institution furnishes clothing without charge, VA reduces the annual allowance by 1/365 of the amount for each day you were incarcerated during the 12 months before the anniversary date. No reduction is made for the first 60 days (38 CFR 3.810(d) and 38 U.S.C. 5313A).
Reduction per allowance = amount x (days incarcerated minus 60) / 365
Example: 120 days in the 12 months before August 1, 2026 leaves 60 days to count. $1,053.19 x 60 / 365 = $173.13, so one allowance pays $880.06.
You can apply online, or complete the Application for Annual Clothing Allowance, VA Form 10-8678, and mail it to the Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. You can also bring or mail the form to the prosthetic representative at your local VA medical center, or fax it. Have your personal information, your service-connected condition, and each device or skin medication ready.
A clothing allowance is separate from monthly compensation. To estimate your monthly payment and any retroactive pay, see the VA back pay calculator. Veterans with loss of use of a hand or foot should also review special monthly compensation rates, and a caregiver may qualify for the VA caregiver stipend.
VA pays $1,053.19 per allowance for 2026, effective December 1, 2025. You can receive more than one allowance if your devices or skin medicines damage different types of clothing, or if two items damage the same type at an increased rate.
VA holds applications until the August 1 closing date and pays veterans who qualify between September 1 and October 31.
No, if you already receive it. Since a 2022 change in the law, payments recur automatically each year until you stop them or VA finds you no longer qualify. VA says that if you were paid in 2022 or 2023 you do not need to reapply, but you must apply for an additional allowance.
VA asks you to apply on or before August 1 to be paid for that year. Under 38 CFR 3.810(c), an application for a given August 1 date can be filed through July 31 of the next year, or within 1 year of the notice of service connection if VA decided service connection after that August 1.
Yes. You get one allowance for each qualifying device or medication that affects a distinct type of clothing, and two allowances when two or more items together damage a single type of clothing at an increased rate.
A brace is an orthopedic device, and VA's application asks about devices such as an artificial limb, brace or wheelchair. It can qualify when you need it because of a service-connected condition and VA certifies that it tends to wear or tear your clothing.