The Veteran's clothing allowance claims for Menthol/M salicylate cream and a lumbosacral corset (back brace) in 2017 were denied as the evidence did not show that these items tended to wear or tear his outer garments.
The deciding factor: The VA Medical Center determined that neither item tended to wear or tear the Veteran's clothing, and there was no lay evidence disputing this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder, Back disability, Left hip disabilities, Right hip disabilities, Voiding dysfunction, Bursitis, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2022
- Citation
- 22071528
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 22071528.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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