VA Clothing Allowance — For Clothing Damaged by a Device or Skin Medication
The VA clothing allowance is an annual lump-sum payment for veterans whose service-connected disability means they wear or use a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, or a prescribed skin medication, that damages their clothing. It is a clothing benefit only. Grants to build or adapt a home are a separate program, covered in the guide to Specially Adapted Housing and Special Housing Adaptation grants.
The rules below come from 38 CFR 3.810 as published on eCFR (current through October 26, 2026) and from VA's clothing allowance page on VA.gov, both read on October 28, 2026.
Who qualifies for one allowance
You need a service-connected disability, or a disability compensable under 38 U.S.C. 1151 as if it were service connected. Then one of these must apply (3.810(a)(1)):
| Route | What 3.810(a)(1) requires |
|---|---|
| Loss of a hand or foot | A VA examination, or a qualifying hospital or examination report, shows that because of a service-connected loss or loss of use of a hand or foot compensable at an SMC rate under 3.350(a), (b), (c), (d) or (f), you wear or use a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, including a wheelchair, that tends to wear or tear clothing |
| VA health care certification, appliance | The Under Secretary for Health or a designee certifies that because of a service-connected disability you wear or use a qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, including a wheelchair, that tends to wear or tear clothing |
| VA health care certification, skin medication | The Under Secretary for Health or a designee certifies that you use medication prescribed by a physician for a skin condition due to a service-connected disability, and it causes irreparable damage to your outer garments |
More than one allowance
You can receive an allowance for each appliance or medication that qualifies on its own and affects a distinct type of clothing or outer garment (3.810(a)(2)). You can also receive two allowances when more than one appliance or medication together wear or damage a single type of garment at an increased rate because of the second one (3.810(a)(3)). VA.gov summarizes it the same way: more than one device, more than one skin medication, or a device or medication that affects more than one type of clothing.
When it is paid, and the filing window
The allowance is tied to an August 1 anniversary date each year. The application must be filed within one year of the anniversary date for which you first qualify, a window that includes August 1 and ends on July 31 of the following year. If you miss that window, an application can still be paid for a later anniversary date, as long as it is filed within one year of that date (3.810(c)(1)). If your service connection for the qualifying disability is decided after an anniversary date, you have one year from the date VA notified you of that decision (3.810(b) and (c)).
VA.gov says you need to qualify by August 1 of a given year, that VA holds applications received during the year until that date, and that payments go out between September 1 and October 31. It also says veterans who received a clothing allowance in 2022 or 2023 no longer need to reapply each year, though you do need to apply for any additional allowance.
If you are incarcerated for more than 60 days and the institution supplies clothing at no charge, the allowance is reduced for each day of incarceration after the first 60 in the year before the anniversary date (3.810(d)).
How to apply
VA.gov lists four ways to file the Application for Annual Clothing Allowance, VA Form 10-8678: online, by mail to VA's Claims Intake Center, by fax, or through the prosthetic representative at your local VA medical center. Have ready the service-connected condition that requires the appliance or medication, and the type of each device or medication and the clothing it damages. If you have not filed a disability compensation claim yet, that comes first.
Related benefits
Veterans who qualify for the clothing allowance because of a lost or impaired limb may also be looking at the automobile allowance and adaptive equipment, home adaptation grants, or SMC-K for loss of use. VA's prosthetics and sensory aids services, including hearing aids, eyeglasses and service dogs, are covered in VA Hearing Aids, Eyeglasses, Prosthetics and Service Dogs.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the clothing allowance the same as a housing or home adaptation grant?
No. The clothing allowance under 38 CFR 3.810 is an annual payment for clothing damaged by a service-connected appliance or skin medication. Grants to build, buy or adapt a home are a separate program under 38 U.S.C. 2101 and 38 CFR 3.809 and 3.809a.
Does a skin cream that stains my clothes qualify?
It can. 38 CFR 3.810(a)(1)(ii)(B) covers medication prescribed by a physician for a skin condition due to a service-connected disability when the medication causes irreparable damage to outer garments, as certified by VA's health care side.
Can I get more than one clothing allowance?
Yes, one for each qualifying appliance or medication that affects a distinct type of clothing (3.810(a)(2)), or two when more than one appliance or medication damages a single type of garment at an increased rate (3.810(a)(3)).
Do I have to apply every year?
VA.gov says veterans who received a clothing allowance in 2022 or 2023 no longer need to reapply each year to keep the annual payment, but anyone seeking an additional allowance must apply.