A single knee brace can be worth a yearly payment for life, and most veterans who qualify have never filed. The clothing allowance asks one narrow question: does a device or prescribed skin medication tied to a service connected condition damage your clothing? The threshold is low, the deadline is August 1, and a 0 percent rating counts.
What it is
The annual clothing allowance is a once-a-year, lump-sum payment to veterans whose VA-issued or prescribed items damage their clothing. For 2025 the amount is $1,024.50 per allowance, paid each year for as long as you remain eligible. It is set under 38 CFR 3.810 and is separate from your monthly disability compensation.
Who qualifies
VA grants the allowance when a VA examiner certifies either of the following, tied to a service connected condition:
- You use a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (for example, a knee or back brace, a prosthetic limb, a wheelchair, or rigid shoe inserts) that tends to wear out or tear your clothing; or
- You use a prescribed medication for a skin condition (for example, for psoriasis, eczema, or dermatitis) that causes irreparable staining of your clothing.
This is why so many rated veterans qualify and never file: a single back brace, a TENS unit, or a tube of a prescribed topical can be enough.
More than one allowance
You can receive more than one clothing allowance in a year if you have multiple qualifying appliances or medications that affect different types of clothing, or two allowances for items that together damage the same garment at an increased rate. The examiner documents each qualifying item.
How to apply
- File VA Form 10-8678 (Application for Annual Clothing Allowance).
- Submit it to the prosthetic representative at your VA medical center.
- The annual eligibility date is August 1; file for the year in which you become eligible.
Once approved, many veterans are kept on an annual recurring payment, though VA can re-verify eligibility.
Where this comes from
- 38 CFR 3.810, Annual clothing allowance
- VA Annual Clothing Allowance program page (eligibility and VA Form 10-8678)
- VA Special Benefit Allowance Rates (current dollar amount)
Worth reading next
- Housing and auto grants: other ancillary benefits that ride alongside disability compensation.
- Monthly compensation calculator: what the underlying monthly payment looks like at each rating.