VA Mobility Equipment Benefits: Wheelchairs, Scooters and Crutches Through VA Health Care

A veteran enrolled in VA health care can receive a wheelchair, scooter, walker or crutches through VA’s Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) when a VA provider prescribes it as part of treatment or rehabilitation. VA issues the item directly or through a VA-authorized vendor, repairs and replaces it under the rules in 38 CFR 17.3230, and runs separate grant programs for vehicles (automobile allowance and adaptive equipment) and home modifications (HISA).

Who is eligible

The rule is 38 CFR 17.3220. A veteran is eligible for the items in 17.3230 if the veteran is enrolled in VA health care under 38 CFR 17.36 (or exempt from enrollment under 17.37(a) through (c)) and is “otherwise receiving care or services” under chapter 17 of title 38. A prescription from a VA provider, or from a community provider eligible under 38 CFR 17.4005, satisfies the second condition.

Eligibility for equipment does not turn on a service-connected rating. The grant programs differ: the automobile allowance and adaptive equipment grant require a service-connected disability (or one treated as such under 38 U.S.C. 1151), and HISA pays more for service-connected disabilities.

The Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service

PSAS calls itself the largest provider of prosthetic devices and sensory aids in the world, and it defines a prosthetic device broadly as “any device that supports or replaces a body part or function.” Its scope runs from artificial limbs and hearing aids to wheelchairs, home medical equipment, ramps and vehicle modifications, and it administers the clothing allowance, HISA, automobile adaptive equipment and service dog benefits. Its teams include prosthetic representatives, prosthetists and orthotists.

The authorized items are listed in 38 CFR 17.3230(a)(1): for mobility, these are mobility aids, home medical equipment (including installation short of a structural alteration), adaptive household items, repairs, replacement items, and training and fitting. VA provides an item when it determines the item is needed under 38 CFR 17.38(b), serves “as a direct and active component of the veteran’s medical treatment and rehabilitation,” and does not “solely support the comfort or convenience of the veteran.” VA generally provides one of each item, with spares allowed on a clinical determination of need.

How a veteran gets a wheelchair, scooter, walker or crutches

The path runs through the veteran’s VA care team. The VA Lexington PSAS page, which mirrors the process at other medical centers, says equipment such as walkers and wheelchairs is provided to veterans enrolled in VA health care who are referred by a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, that a current consult is required and walk-ins are not accepted, and that a veteran without a consult should “contact your primary care provider first.” Evaluations with the prosthetics team guide the referral, and measuring, fitting and modification appointments follow as needed.

Under 38 CFR 17.3240, the VA provider (or an eligible community provider) prescribes the item “in consultation with the veteran.” VA then either fills the prescription directly or pays a VA-authorized vendor to furnish it, choosing based on the veteran’s clinical needs, VA capacity and availability, geographic availability and cost. Prior authorization is required before VA will reimburse a vendor, except for emergency and urgent care.

Once the veteran takes possession, the item is the veteran’s property under 17.3230(b), unless VA makes a clinical determination that a loan is more beneficial, in which case the veteran must agree to the loan terms.

Repairs and replacements

Two provisions matter here. 38 CFR 17.3230(a)(1)(xii) authorizes repairs to items provided under the section “even if the item was not initially prescribed by VA,” unless VA decides to replace the item for cost or clinical reasons. 17.3230(a)(1)(xiii) authorizes replacement when an item has been damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen, or when replacement is clinically indicated; it adds that serviceable items that still meet the veteran’s need “will not be replaced for the sole purpose of obtaining a newer model.”

The veteran has duties too. 38 CFR 17.3250 requires veterans to use items as prescribed and consistent with the manufacturer’s instructions and any training; failure to do so “may result in the item not being replaced.” Items obtained from a VA-authorized vendor without prior authorization are not reimbursed, except in emergency or urgent care.

Automobile allowance and adaptive equipment

These are Veterans Benefits Administration programs under 38 U.S.C. 3901 through 3903 and 38 CFR 17.155 through 17.159. The VA eligibility page lists the qualifying service-connected conditions: loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet or hands; permanent decreased vision in both eyes (20/200 or less in the better eye with glasses, or a visual field reduced to 20 degrees or less); a severe burn injury; ALS; and ankylosis in one or both knees or hips, which qualifies a veteran only for the adaptive equipment grant.

The automobile allowance is “up to $27,908.90” effective October 1, 2026, per VA’s special benefit allowance rates page. VA pays the vehicle’s seller directly, and the veteran must file VA Form 21-4502 and receive approval before buying. A second allowance is possible if the first vehicle was bought 30 or more years ago or was destroyed in a natural disaster through no fault of the veteran and without insurance compensation.

Adaptive equipment (power steering, brakes, seats, windows and lift equipment) is requested on VA Form 10-1394 through the prosthetic representative at the local VA medical center. The AAE page says all adaptive equipment must be prescribed by a VHA physician or a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist, and that VBA determines eligibility while VHA verifies it. Enrolled veterans with non-service-connected disabilities who do not qualify for AAE can still receive non-operational vehicle modifications, such as wheelchair tie-downs and vehicle lifts, through PSAS; that page notes no two vehicles may be modified in a four-year period and that VA authorization is required before installation.

HISA home improvement grants

The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations program, authorized by 38 U.S.C. 1717(a)(2) and 38 CFR 17.3100 through 17.3130, pays for changes to a veteran’s primary residence that are necessary to continue home health treatment or that provide access to the home or to essential lavatory and sanitary facilities. The HISA page lists the lifetime amounts: $6,800 for a service-connected disability, a disability treated as service-connected under 38 U.S.C. 1710(a)(2)(C), or a non-service-connected disability when the veteran has a service-connected rating of at least 50 percent; and $2,000 for any other eligible disability.

Covered work includes entrance and exit improvements, permanent ramping, roll-in showers, lowering sinks and counters, and plumbing or electrical work needed to install home medical equipment. Excluded: portable ramps, porch lifts and stair glides (because they are removable), exterior decking, walkways to outbuildings, spas, new construction, security systems and routine maintenance. The application is VA Form 10-0103 with a VA physician’s prescription, an itemized estimate, a color photo of the unimproved area and, for renters, the owner’s notarized authorization.

Community care

Veterans can receive care from community providers when VA cannot provide it. The community care eligibility page requires enrollment in VA health care and approval from the VA care team before the visit, plus at least one of six conditions: the service is not offered at any VA facility; the veteran lives in a state or territory without a full-service VA facility; the veteran and VA provider agree community care is in the veteran’s best medical interest; VA cannot meet its quality standards; the veteran qualified under the 40-mile rule as of June 6, 2018 in certain states; or VA cannot meet its access standards. Those standards are a 30-minute average drive or 20-day wait for primary care, mental health and extended outpatient care, and 60 minutes or 28 days for specialty care. Community care “must be first authorized by VA,” and copays apply to non-service-connected care as they do inside VA. Under 38 CFR 17.3240, community providers eligible under 17.4005 can prescribe mobility items, but VA still fills or authorizes them.

How VA differs from Medicare for dual-eligible veterans

VA’s page on other insurance says veterans can use VA health care alongside Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE or private insurance, and that VA encourages enrolled veterans to sign up for Medicare when they turn 65 because it covers care at non-VA hospitals and doctors and because delaying Part B brings a lifelong penalty. VA states plainly: “We don’t bill Medicare or Medicaid,” though it may bill Medicare supplemental insurance for covered services. The two benefits do not combine on one claim; the veteran must “choose which benefits to use each time you receive care,” and VA benefits apply only at a VA facility or where VA pre-authorized the care.

The practical differences for equipment:

• Cost sharing. Medicare Part B pays 80 percent of the approved amount after the deductible, leaving 20 percent to the beneficiary when the supplier accepts assignment. VA charges no coinsurance on equipment; whether any copay applies depends on priority group and whether the care is service-connected. VA’s 2026 copay page lists $15 primary care and $50 specialty care outpatient copays for veterans without a service-connected rating of 10 percent or higher, and no equipment-specific copay.
• Ownership. Medicare rents most wheelchairs and hospital beds as capped rental items for up to 13 months before title passes. Under 38 CFR 17.3230(b), a VA-issued item is the veteran’s property on possession unless VA chooses a loan.
• Supplier choice. Medicare requires an enrolled supplier that accepts assignment. VA fills the prescription itself or through a vendor it authorizes.
• Repairs. Medicare covers repairs of beneficiary-owned equipment; VA repairs items it provides even when VA did not prescribe them originally.

What changed recently

• October 1, 2026. VA raised the automobile allowance to up to $27,908.90 (special benefit allowance rates page, last updated October 1, 2026).
• January 1, 2026. 2026 VA copay rates took effect: $15 primary care, $50 specialty care and specialty tests for veterans without a 10 percent or higher service-connected rating; urgent care $30 after three visits for priority groups 1 to 5.
• December 1, 2025. Clothing allowance set at $1,053.19 and the Medal of Honor pension at $5,780 per month (special benefit allowance rates page).
• September 11, 2025. VA last updated its community care eligibility page, which carries the 30/60-minute drive and 20/28-day wait standards.

Where to check

• 38 CFR 17.3200 through 17.3250 on eCFR: eligibility, authorized items, furnishing and veteran responsibilities.
• Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service: program pages for HISA, automobile adaptive equipment, vehicle modifications and the clothing allowance.
• VA facility locator to reach the local PSAS office.
• Automobile allowance and adaptive equipment and special benefit allowance rates.
• HISA and VA Form 10-0103.
• Community care eligibility.
• VA health care and other insurance and Medicare.gov DME coverage.

Eligibility and prescriptions are decided by the veteran’s VA care team. This page describes the rules; it is not medical or benefits advice.