Prosthetics are items and services used to help a disabled person regain independence and mobility. The VA will provide these to an eligible disabled Veteran as part of their health care.
All VA facilities have clinicians and teams that work with the Veteran to determine what kind and type of prosthetic device or service does the patient need to regain as complete function as possible. The team can send a Veteran who has specialized needs to one of the hospitals that specialize in that particular disability if necessary. Functioning similarly to a pharmacy, the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service will fulfill prosthetic orders upon request from a VA physician. The VA is the only healthcare system with a prosthetics service.
The VA will replace and repair prosthetics for the Veteran for the rest of their life, free of charge.
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Goal of prosthetics
The health care team has two goals for the Veteran to achieve:
- Independence, which is the ability to take care of themselves: to Wash their face, comb their hair, to feed themselves, use the toilet, dress themselves, and all the activities of daily living.
- Mobility, which is the ability to transport one’s self from place to place. Whether it be crutches, scooter, wheelchair, modified vehicles or cane.
Categories of prosthetics covered by VA
In the VA, Prosthetics and Sensory Aids are considered to be any inorganic device or service that goes to replace or support a bodily function. The obvious items that come to mind are wheelchairs and artificial limbs, but there are thousands of items that are available in health care and the marketplace to be used in returning function to an individual.
Overall, the VA is authorized to provide the following categories of prosthetics:
- Adaptive household items
- Adaptive recreation equipment
- Artificial limbs
- Cognitive items that compensate for a loss of cognitive abilities (ex. hearing aids, eyeglasses, speech assistive devices)
- Communication devices (ex. computers)
- Home exercise equipment
- Home medical equipment
- Home respiratory equipment (ex. oxygen, CPAP machine)
- Implants
- Improvements or alterations to an existing feature or fixture of a home (This may also be covered by a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant or Home Improvements and Structural Improvements (HISA) grant. See more under “Home Benefits”).
- Mobility aids
- Orthotic aids
- Visual aids
- Wheelchairs
How Veterans get prosthetics: Prosthetics & Sensory Aid Services
All VA facilities have clinicians and teams that work with the Veteran to determine what kind and type of prosthetic device or service the patient will need to regain as complete function as possible. The team can send a Veteran who has specialized needs to one of the hospitals that specialize in that particular disability if necessary. The process occurs as follows:
- These devices and services are prescribed by the VA clinician and sent to the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service to fill the prescription and provide it to the patient. This is unique to the VA system because in the civilian health care system there is no uniform single department to send the prosthetic prescription to.
- After receiving the prosthetics, the Veteran will be monitored and provided items and services including repairs and replacements as long as the Veteran is alive.
The clinical team is responsible for determining what items and devices the patient will need, and the training they will need on how to use that equipment. For instance, how to transfer on or off the wheelchair chair, and how to use grab bars in the bathroom. The more complicated and or catastrophic the disability, the more need for sophisticated items and services, the more need for training in the use and maintenance of the equipment.
Clothing Allowance
Veterans who are rated for a Service-Connected disability for which he or she uses prosthetic or orthotic appliances may receive an annual clothing allowance. Learn more about the clothing allowance on the VA’s website.
Service and guide dogs
The VA supports guide and service dogs for Veterans approved for those dogs by their clinician.
Veterans approved for a guide or service dog will be referred to Assistance Dogs International-accredited agencies. The VA will pay for veterinary care and the equipment (e.g. harness and/or backpack) required for optimal use of the dog.
Learn more on their website.
Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE)
The Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE) program provides adaptive equipment to allow a Veteran to safely operate and enter/exit from their personal vehicle. Veterans are trained, through the VA Drivers Rehabilitation Program, how to safely operate their vehicle on our nation’s roadways. The VA also provides necessary equipment such as:
- Platform wheelchair lifts
- Under vehicle lifts (UVLs)
- Power door openers
- Lowered floors/raised roofs
- Raised doors
- Hand controls
- Left foot pedals
- Reduced effort and zero effort steering and braking
- Digital driving systems.
Additionally, VA’s program provides reimbursements for standard equipment including, but not limited to:
- power steering
- power brakes
- power windows
- power seats
- other special equipment necessary for the safe operation of an improved vehicle
Additionally, you may be eligible for a one-time payment to buy a specially adapted vehicle.
Learn more on the VA’s website.
