Policy checked October 4, 2026 against VHA Directive 1173.9(1), which is due for recertification by the end of October 2026.
The video says the VA hands you two new pairs of shoes a year, and that saying “plantar fasciitis” is the trick. I read the directive. Neither part holds up.
What VA policy actually says
VHA Directive 1173.9(1), the national policy on therapeutic footwear and in-shoe orthoses, has one paragraph on quantity:
“Veterans requiring therapeutic footwear and in-shoe orthoses should have two serviceable pairs. NOTE: An additional pair may be authorized for environmental conditions related to the Veteran’s employment or regular avocational activity.” (1173.9(1), para 6.a)
That’s an inventory level, not an annual allowance. “Serviceable” means footwear “in acceptable condition, not showing signs of excessive ‘wear and tear’” (para 3.n).
Replacement runs on a yearly check. Your providing clinician is responsible for:
“Scheduling follow-up with the Veteran on an annual basis, or sooner at the Veteran’s request. Follow-up must include inspection and evaluation to determine the serviceability of footwear to meet the Veteran’s therapeutic need(s).” (para 5.k(6))
So: two working pairs, checked yearly, replaced when shot. The exact replacement criteria sit in an internal VA procedure the directive calls “not available to the public,” so there’s no public interval to quote.
“One pair per year” isn’t a VA rule either. The only per-calendar-year footwear rule we found is TRICARE’s diabetic-shoe policy, below.
What counts, and who qualifies
Therapeutic footwear is “medically necessary custom or non-custom footwear of various types. These types include depth inlay, athletic, orthopedic, boots, work or custom footwear not generally available in mass merchant stores” (para 3.o). Athletic shoes are in there; that’s the video’s kernel of truth.
The bar is para 2.c: footwear and in-shoe orthoses “must be provided to Veterans when provision is medically necessary and an active component of their care.” Para 2.d names the qualifying pathologies: “physical foot/ankle deformity with or without disease, disease resulting in sensory neuropathy, neurologic injury, and other specific qualifying circumstances, that cannot be accommodated by standard footwear.” Medical justification (para 2.e) includes “high foot risk score, in-patient status, amputation” and split sizing.
Plantar fasciitis appears nowhere in the directive. Neither does “balance” or “daily function.” A VA clinician can still prescribe for it: 38 CFR 17.3230 lets VA furnish orthotic devices that “serve as a direct and active component of the veteran’s medical treatment and rehabilitation, and do not solely support the comfort or convenience of the veteran.” Saying the words at the front desk doesn’t flip a switch; meeting that bar is your provider’s clinical call. You also have to be enrolled in VA health care (or exempt from enrollment) and otherwise receiving VA care; a VA provider prescribing the item counts (38 CFR 17.3220).
Who can order them, on paper and in practice
On paper, podiatrists, MDs, DOs, physician assistants, and certified nurse practitioners can prescribe (para 5.j). VA’s national Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service page: “A foot examination is required prior to referral to Prosthetics. The foot exam may be conducted by either your primary care team, Podiatry, or Wound Care to determine your needs for footwear.”
Some medical centers override that. VA Memphis: “All footwear requests will require a current evaluation and consult from Podiatry. Shoe consults from a Primary care physician will not be considered.” VA Tennessee Valley lists only Podiatry or Wound Care for the exam.
Ask which way your facility works before you book.
What to say at the appointment
No symptom script. One sentence:
“I’d like a foot exam and to know whether therapeutic footwear and in-shoe orthoses are appropriate for me.”
That names the official items, asks for the required exam, and leaves medical need to your provider.
What it costs you at VA
For the orthosis, VA’s Orthotic, Prosthetic and Pedorthic Clinical Services fact sheet says: “Whether provided by a VA Prosthetist and Orthotist or through a community O&P provider, VA covers the full cost of the orthosis or prosthesis, as well as costs for repair and maintenance as appropriate for eligible Veterans.”
For shoes, no VA page states a device charge, and the medication copay rule at 38 CFR 17.110 “does not mean medical supplies, oral nutritional supplements, or medical devices.” The visit can still carry a copay depending on your priority group (38 CFR 17.108), so don’t assume the whole thing is free.
Shoes and inserts also don’t trigger the annual clothing allowance. VHA Handbook 1173.15, para 8.b, lists “Soft orthotics, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units, shoes, shoe inserts” among items that “do not tend to tear and wear clothing.”
The TRICARE side is a different rulebook
On TRICARE, forget everything above.
TRICARE covers shoes for diabetics only. Its Therapeutic Shoes page covers “inserts and custom molded or extra-depth shoes for people with diabetes.” Coverage “is limited to one of the following within a calendar year: One pair of custom molded shoes (including inserts that come with the shoes) and two pairs of multidensity inserts, or One pair of extra-depth shoes (not including inserts that come with the shoes) and three pairs of multidensity inserts.” The policy manual’s exclusion is one line: “Shoes for conditions other than diabetes” (TRICARE Policy Manual Ch 8 Sect 8.2).
Retiree or family member? Inserts for plantar fasciitis are excluded. The Foot Care page says TRICARE doesn’t cover “Shoe inserts,” “Orthopedic shoes (unless attached to a brace),” or “Arch supports.” The manual names the diagnosis: “Orthoses for pes planus (flat feet) or plantar fasciitis, or other similar diagnoses” (TPM Ch 8 Sect 3.1, para 4.6).
Active duty is the exception. The Operations Manual: “Custom-fitted orthoses are covered for Service members on active duty,” ordered by “the appropriate provider” from “a TRICARE-authorized vendor that specializes in this service,” and “this benefit refers to custom fitted orthotics (e.g., foot inserts for plantar fasciitis, flat feet, or similar diagnoses)” (TOM Ch 17 Sect 3, para 2.5.5.1). Quantity and cost under that waiver aren’t stated; ask your PCM.
Your cost-share depends on your plan. No TRICARE page we read says “no cost” for shoes or inserts.
Retiree with both VA enrollment and TRICARE who needs an orthosis for plantar fasciitis? Go through VA. TRICARE shuts that door; VA leaves it to your provider.
Red flags before you hand anyone your info
Companies market “VA-covered shoes” as a lead magnet. The VA Office of Inspector General’s March 2025 DME fraud alert tells veterans to report:
- “offers of free or low-cost DME from solicitors claiming VA affiliation”
- “receipt of medical devices by mail that were not prescribed by a VA-assigned physician”
- “requests from DME suppliers for personal, medical, or financial information”
The legitimate route has no middleman: your VA provider, a foot exam, then VA prosthetics or a VA-authorized vendor.
Do this today
- Find out whether your VA medical center routes shoe requests through podiatry (search “[your facility] prosthetic sensory aids service” on va.gov, or call).
- Book with primary care or podiatry and use the one sentence above.
- If footwear is issued, calendar the annual serviceability check; that’s what triggers a replacement.
- Have a rating? See what else a foot rating gets you in Battle Buddy.
- Full quantity, cost, and VA-vs-TRICARE table for shoes, inserts, braces, hearing aids, and CPAP: covered-items guide.
Military Benefits Club is not an official VA or DoD website. Your provider decides medical need; nothing here is a prescription or a guarantee of coverage. Policy quoted above was checked on October 4, 2026; VHA Directive 1173.9(1) is due for recertification in October 2026.