Does Medicare Cover Diabetic Shoes? (2026)

Yes. Medicare Part B covers therapeutic shoes and inserts, often called diabetic shoes, for people who have diabetes and severe diabetes-related foot disease. The benefit renews every calendar year, and after you meet the Part B deductible you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. But it comes with strict certification and provider rules, and most denied claims fail on the paperwork, not the diagnosis. This guide explains who qualifies, what you get, what it costs, and how to keep the claim from being denied.1

Does Medicare cover diabetic shoes, and who qualifies?

This benefit is narrow on purpose. Medicare Part B covers therapeutic shoes and inserts only if you have diabetes and severe diabetes-related foot disease. It is meant for people whose diabetes has put their feet at real risk, not for general comfort or routine footwear.1

"Severe diabetes-related foot disease" is not left vague. To qualify, your certifying physician must document diabetes plus at least one of these foot conditions:2

• Partial or complete amputation of the foot
• A history of foot ulcers
• A history of pre-ulcerative calluses
• Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) with evidence of callus formation
• Foot deformity
• Poor circulation

If you have diabetes and even one of these, you may already qualify for a benefit many eligible people never use.

How often does Medicare cover diabetic shoes?

When you qualify, the benefit renews every calendar year. In a given year, Medicare covers the furnishing and fitting of one of the following:1

• A pair of custom-molded shoes (or custom-molded inserts), plus 2 additional pairs of inserts, or
• A pair of extra-depth shoes, plus 3 additional pairs of inserts.

So the package depends on which shoe type fits your needs, and the number of insert pairs follows from that choice. The count resets on January 1, so a pair furnished in December and a pair furnished the following January are two separate benefit years.

The certification rules that decide whether Medicare pays

More than most benefits, therapeutic shoes depend on getting the paperwork and the calendar right. Under Medicare's Local Coverage Determination for therapeutic shoes (LCD L33369), a claim is decided by the certification timeline as much as by the diagnosis:2

• Certification by your diabetes doctor. The physician who manages your diabetes must serve as the certifying physician and must document an in-person visit at which diabetes management is addressed within 6 months before the shoes or inserts are delivered.
• A signed certification statement. That same physician must sign a certification statement on or after the date of the in-person visit and within 3 months before delivery.
• A new certification each year. The certification has to be renewed for each calendar-year benefit.
• A prescription. A podiatrist (foot doctor) or other qualified doctor must prescribe the shoes or inserts.
• A qualified supplier. You must get the shoes or inserts from a podiatrist, an orthotist, a prosthetist, a pedorthist, or another qualified individual.

There is one rule families trip over most: the certifying physician cannot be the same person or entity that furnishes and bills for the shoes. The doctor treating your diabetes signs the certification; a separate supplier fits and bills. Assuming "my podiatrist handles everything" is how a valid benefit turns into a denied claim.2

On top of that, your doctors and suppliers must be enrolled in Medicare. Medicare will not pay claims submitted by providers who are not enrolled, so confirm enrollment before you order anything. You can check by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or using the "Find care providers" and supplier tools at Medicare.gov.1

What Medicare-covered diabetic shoes cost

For covered therapeutic shoes, the standard Part B rules apply. After you meet the annual Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and Part B covers the other 80%.3

Here is how that works in practice. Say a supplier's Medicare-approved amount for your therapeutic shoes is $200 and you have already met your Part B deductible for the year. Your share is 20%, or about $40, and Medicare pays the remaining $160. If you have not yet met the deductible, you would pay the first $283 of covered Part B costs before the 20% split begins. A Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy may cover that 20% coinsurance.3

Diabetic shoes under Medicare Advantage

If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan instead of Original Medicare, you still get this benefit: Medicare Advantage plans must cover everything Original Medicare covers, including therapeutic shoes. The rules around it can differ, though. Most plans require you to use in-network suppliers, and plans often require prior authorization before they cover certain equipment or supplies, which Original Medicare generally does not.4

Before you order, call your plan to confirm two things: whether the shoe supplier is in-network, and whether prior authorization is required. That one phone call is the difference between a covered pair and an out-of-pocket bill. You cannot use a Medigap policy with a Medicare Advantage plan.4

If Medicare denies your therapeutic shoe claim

Denials on this benefit are usually paperwork problems, not eligibility problems, so they are often worth appealing. If Original Medicare denies your claim, you have the right to appeal, and you have 120 days from the date you receive your Medicare Summary Notice to file the first-level appeal, called a redetermination.5

Start by reviewing the denial reason on your Medicare Summary Notice, ask the certifying physician and supplier to correct any missing documentation (most often the in-person-visit note or the certification date), and follow the appeal instructions on the notice or at Medicare's appeals page. Medicare Advantage plans have their own parallel appeal process that begins with the plan itself.5

Learn More

If you have diabetes and want help getting therapeutic shoes covered by Medicare, find personalized guidance at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.