The Veteran's back brace did not cause wear and tear to his clothing, so he is denied an annual clothing allowance for the 2016 calendar year.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s back brace was determined by VHA not to be the type that causes wear and tear to clothing, and a VA orthotist-prosthetist found it would not damage his clothing due to its design, construction, and function.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127178
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19127178.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches, chronic vertigo, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined effects of these disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, finding that the Veteran did not file a claim prior to March 1, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, and found that new and relevant evidence had not been received to readjudicate the claims for left and right lower extremity stent placements in femoral arteries.
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