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 if your supplier accepts assignment. But it comes with strict certification and provider rules, and a claim can be denied over the paperwork even when the diagnosis qualifies. 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

• A previous amputation
• 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 this benefit.

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 extra-depth shoes, plus 3 pairs of inserts, or
• A pair of custom-molded shoes (including inserts), plus 2 more pairs of inserts, if you can't wear depth-inlay shoes because of a foot deformity.

So the package depends on which shoe type fits your feet, and the number of insert pairs follows from that choice. In certain cases Medicare may also cover separate inserts, or shoe modifications instead of inserts, so a need that doesn't fit either package isn't automatically outside the benefit.1 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. Federal law sets the conditions, and every one of them must be met, not just one: the physician managing your diabetes must document a qualifying foot condition and certify that you need the shoes under a comprehensive plan of care for your diabetes, a podiatrist or other qualified physician must prescribe them, and a qualified supplier must fit and furnish them.2

The timing rules come from the Medicare contractors that process equipment claims (the DME MACs), which publish them as documentation requirements under Local Coverage Determination L33369:2

• Certification by your diabetes doctor. The physician who treats your diabetes acts as the certifying physician, and there must be documentation of an in-person visit at which diabetes management is addressed within 6 months before the shoes or inserts are delivered. A visit documenting the qualifying foot condition must also fall within those 6 months.
• A signed certification statement. The certification statement must be completed within 3 months before delivery and signed on or after those visits. Because of that 3-month window, a certification from a past year cannot cover the next year's pair.
• A prescription. A podiatrist (foot doctor) or other qualified doctor must order the shoes or inserts. This can be a provider other than the certifying physician.
• 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 shoes must be fitted and furnished by someone other than the certifying physician, unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services finds that physician is the only qualified individual in the area. The doctor treating your diabetes signs the certification; in most cases a separate supplier fits and furnishes the shoes. Assuming "my podiatrist handles everything" can turn a valid benefit 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 doctors or suppliers who are not enrolled, so confirm enrollment before you order anything: ask each doctor and supplier directly, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.1,4

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 if your supplier accepts assignment, and Part B covers the other 80%.3,1

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; Plan G, for example, pays the Part B coinsurance.3,5

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 all the medically necessary Part A and Part B services Original Medicare covers, including therapeutic shoes. The rules around it can differ, though. Most plans generally require you to use in-network suppliers (a PPO lets you go out of network at a higher cost), and plans may require prior authorization before they cover certain equipment or supplies, which Original Medicare generally does not.6

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. A Medigap policy cannot pay your Medicare Advantage copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, or premiums, though if this is your first Advantage plan you have a 12-month federal trial right to return to Original Medicare and buy one. Past that window, in some cases you may not be able to get a Medigap policy at all.6

If Medicare denies your therapeutic shoe claim

A denial on this benefit can come from a missing document rather than from your eligibility, and a missing document is something your doctor or supplier may be able to supply. 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. Missing that deadline is not automatically the end: you may still get a decision if you can show good cause, such as an illness or accident that delayed you.7

Start by reviewing the denial reason on your Medicare Summary Notice, ask the certifying physician and supplier to correct any missing documentation (such as 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.7

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.