The Veteran's claims for annual clothing allowances in 2014 and 2015 were denied as the back braces and knee braces did not qualify under VA regulations, and topical medications used for non-service-connected conditions do not meet eligibility criteria.,VA determined that the Veteran's back brace and right knee brace did not cause irreparable damage to clothing due to their design. The use of topical medications was also deemed ineligible as they were prescribed for a condition unrelated to service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA regulations require that the prosthetic or orthopedic appliance must be certified by the Under Secretary for Health, or a designee, as a device that tends to wear or tear clothing. The Veteran's back brace and right knee brace did not qualify under this requirement.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1643029
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1643029.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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