Veteran Benefits
Annual Clothing Allowance
The annual clothing allowance is a small but real tax-free payment for veterans whose service-connected equipment or medication is hard on their clothes - a wheelchair that frays trouser legs, a rigid brace that wears through fabric, or a skin cream that stains and ruins garments. Many veterans who qualify have never heard of it.
Who this is for
If a wheelchair, brace, artificial limb, or a prescribed skin cream for a service-connected condition is steadily wearing out your clothes, the VA owes you a small tax-free payment for it every year - and once you are approved, it keeps coming without any more paperwork.
In plain language
What Annual Clothing Allowance covers
- A yearly tax-free payment when a prosthetic or orthopedic device wears out your clothing
- Payment when a physician-prescribed skin medication irreparably damages your clothes
- More than one allowance a year when multiple items damage different garments
- Automatic yearly renewal once you have been approved
$1,053.19/yr
Annual clothing allowance per qualifying item (2026; confirm on va.gov)
Stackable
More than one allowance a year if several items damage different garments
Aug 1
Filing deadline for new applications each year
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click. Here is the whole story in plain language, so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- A tax-free yearly payment of ##$1,053.19## (2026 rate; confirm on va.gov) for veterans whose prosthetic, brace, wheelchair, or prescribed skin medication damages their clothing (38 CFR 3.810).
- You can receive more than one allowance in a year if you use several qualifying items that wear out different types of clothing.
- Since late 2022, most veterans do not have to reapply every year - once approved, it renews automatically as long as your situation stays the same.
- The yearly filing deadline for new applications is ##August 1##, with payment usually issued in the fall.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
What it is for
- The clothing allowance recognizes that some service-connected equipment and medications quietly destroy your wardrobe over time.
- A wheelchair or scooter that frays trousers, a rigid back or leg brace that wears through shirts, or a prosthetic limb that damages sleeves and cuffs can all qualify.
- So can a skin medication your doctor prescribes for a service-connected condition, if it stains or otherwise ruins your clothing.
You may qualify for more than one
- The 2026 rate is $1,053.19 for a single qualifying allowance, paid once a year and tax-free.
- If you use several qualifying items that damage different kinds of clothing - say a wheelchair and a separate arm brace - you may be paid more than one allowance in the same year.
- The VA looks at what each device touches and wears, so list everything you use.
No more yearly paperwork for most
- For decades veterans had to reapply every single year. Since a change that took effect in late 2022, an approved allowance generally renews automatically.
- You only need to file again if you add a new qualifying item or your situation changes.
- That means once you are in the system, the payment simply arrives each year.
How and when to file
- Use VA Form 10-8678 and file through your VA health care facility, where a clinician verifies the wear and tear.
- New applications are due by August 1 to be paid in that year's cycle; payment usually goes out in the fall.
- If you have used a qualifying device for years and never applied, do it now - the benefit is not paid retroactively for years you did not claim.
Your complete benefit picture
$1,053.19/yr
the tax-free yearly payment for veterans whose service-connected brace, wheelchair, prosthetic, or prescribed skin medication wears out their clothing - and for most, it now renews automatically. Confirm the current rate on va.gov.
Do not miss this
Small benefit, almost nobody claims it
If a wheelchair, brace, or prosthetic is fraying your clothes - or a prescribed skin cream is ruining them - the VA owes you a yearly payment most veterans have never heard of.
Since late 2022 it renews on its own once approved, so the only real hurdle is applying the first time.
Devices that wear clothing
Wheelchairs, scooters, rigid braces, and prosthetic limbs that rub, fray, or tear your garments qualify.
Skin medications count
A physician-prescribed medication for a service-connected skin condition that ruins clothing also qualifies.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
First
List your qualifying items
Note each device or prescribed medication and the clothing it damages - you may qualify for more than one allowance.
File once
Apply with VA Form 10-8678
Submit through your VA health care facility, where a clinician verifies the wear and tear.
By August 1
Meet the yearly deadline
New applications are due August 1 to be paid that fall.
Then relax
Let it auto-renew
Once approved, it generally renews each year unless your situation changes.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
VA Benefits Hotline
Compensation, pension, and general claim questions.
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702-992-4883Download the forms
Not sure where to start?
File VA Form 10-8678, the Application for Annual Clothing Allowance, through your VA health care system. A VA clinician confirms that your device or prescribed medication damages your clothing. First-time applicants should file by the August 1 deadline; after that, it generally renews on its own.
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