The Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance based on use of right and left ankle braces (ASOs) for the year 2014 is denied as her non-rigid ASOs do not qualify under VA guidelines.
The deciding factor: VA regulations require that a 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 ASOs are non-rigid and thus do not meet this requirement.
- Claimed conditions
- ankle disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2017
- Citation
- 1708208
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1708208.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right foot and ankle disabilities due to insufficient evidence.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination regarding the Veteran's ankle disabilities and their impact on locomotion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran should be afforded VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his current knee, ankle, foot, hand, finger, and wrist disabilities. Additionally, a VA examination is needed to assess the relationship between any kidney disability and service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the criteria for TDIU have not been met.
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