The Veteran's use of wrist braces for service-connected disabilities causes abnormal wear and tear on his long-sleeve shirts, warranting a clothing allowance for the year 2017.
The deciding factor: Wrist braces cause undue stress and tearing of the Veteran's long-sleeve shirts due to their design reaching down to the middle of his forearms.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of frostbite of both hands, arthritis of the first metacarpophalangeal joint for each finger of both hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19134307
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19134307.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination. The Veteran's disability ratings remain under review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for residuals of frostbite of both hands due to additional development being needed.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee strain and instability with torn meniscus, as well as his claim to reopen a previously denied claim for residuals of frostbite of both hands. The effective dates for these grants are set at February 16, 2006.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for frostbite of both feet and hands. The case is remanded to determine if these conditions are related to active service, including exposure to extreme cold while serving in Korea.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.