The short answer
Yes, once. CHAMPVA covers one wig or hairpiece per person, per lifetime, when cancer treatment caused the hair loss. Your doctor has to certify that treatment caused it, and you have to certify you've never gotten a wig through the U.S. government, including VA. Replacements, upkeep, supplies, and hair transplants aren't covered.
What does CHAMPVA cover?
38 CFR 17.272(a)(34) generally excludes wigs and hairpieces, with one exception: one wig or hairpiece per beneficiary, per lifetime, when:
- your attending physician certifies the hair loss came from treatment of a malignant disease, like chemotherapy or radiation for cancer, and
- you certify you haven't gotten a wig or hairpiece through the U.S. government before, including VA.
The CHAMPVA Guidebook describes it the same way: a wig needed during or after cancer treatment, limited to one per lifetime.
What isn't covered?
- Replacement wigs
- Wig maintenance
- Wig supplies
- Hair transplants
- Surgery to attach hair or a wig to the scalp
- Treatments to regrow hair
- Wigs for hair loss from other causes
The benefit doesn't reset with a new diagnosis or a new round of treatment.
What paperwork do you need?
- A note from your doctor saying your hair loss resulted from cancer treatment.
- A signed statement from you saying you've never received a wig or hairpiece through the U.S. government, including VA.
- An itemized receipt for the wig.
Since the benefit is one-time, consider choosing a durable wig.
How do you get reimbursed?
If the wig shop bills CHAMPVA, give them both certifications. If you pay yourself, file a claim with the receipt and both certifications. More here: How to file a CHAMPVA claim online and Who files the CHAMPVA claim?
CHAMPVA reimburses based on its allowable amount, after your deductible and cost share.
If it's denied
Check whether a certification was missing, the benefit was already used, or there was another claim issue. Send what's missing. More here: CHAMPVA claim denials.