Does the VA Pay for Crutches? VA and TRICARE Benefits (E0110)

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If you are a veteran or a TRICARE member, crutches are generally handled as durable medical equipment (DME) through your benefit rather than something you buy and claim back. How you get a pair depends on where you receive care and what your provider orders.

Not going through the VA or TRICARE? Private plans, Medicare and Medicaid work differently, and the full walkthrough for those is in does insurance pay for crutches.

The code: HCPCS E0110

Forearm crutches fall under HCPCS code E0110 (“crutches, forearm, includes crutches of various materials, adjustable or fixed, pair, complete with tips and handgrips”). This is the billing code payers use to recognize them as covered DME.

How reimbursement generally works

For veterans and TRICARE members there are two common paths:

1. Issued through your care team. Crutches are generally supplied as prosthetics or DME on a provider’s order, often at a VA medical center or through the VA’s prosthetics service, at no cost to you. This is the usual route and it is worth asking about first.
2. Bought outside the benefit. If you want a specific model your care team does not stock, you generally buy it and ask about reimbursement. Confirm what your benefit allows before you buy, because an unauthorised purchase may not be reimbursable at all.

Either way you will usually need an order from your provider, and the E0110 code may need to appear on the paperwork.

What to ask before you buy

• Can my care team issue forearm crutches (E0110) directly, and what is the wait?
• Do I need a face-to-face visit or a referral to prosthetics first?
• If I want a specific model, does my benefit allow it, and does it have to be authorised before I buy?
• If I buy outside the benefit, what documentation would a reimbursement claim need?

Picking the crutch

Benefits aside, you still want a crutch that fits how you’ll use it. Start with the best forearm crutches comparison or take the quiz.

On a different plan? See does insurance pay for crutches for Medicare, Medicaid and private plans, or are crutches usually FSA and HSA eligible if you are paying with pre-tax dollars.

This is general information, not insurance or medical advice, and not a guarantee of coverage. Coverage varies by plan and situation. Confirm details with your provider and your plan.