Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/11/16/2011-29579/clothing-allowance
Timestamp: 2014-04-17 00:47:51
Document Index: 33889974

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3', '§ 3']

Federal Register | Clothing Allowance
-70885 (3 pages)
Document Number: 2011-29579
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2011-29579 Related Topics
Clothing Allowance 3 actions from February 2nd, 2011 to October 2011
VA also provides in § 3.810(a)(3) that a veteran is entitled to two annual clothing allowances if: (1) A veteran uses more than one qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, medication for more than one skin condition, or an appliance and a medication; and (2) the appliance(s) or medication(s) each satisfy the requirements of § 3.810(a)(1) and together tend to tear or wear a single article of clothing or irreparably damage an outergarment, requiring replacement at an increased rate than if the article of clothing, or outergarment, was affected by a single qualifying appliance or medication.
Comments in Response to Proposed Rule Back to Top
A sixth commenter expressed that VA should establish “no limitation for the number of clothing allowances per year” because some veterans use a combination of prosthetic and/or orthopedic appliances for service-connected disabilities. VA appreciates this comment; however, VA makes no change in response to this comment because the rule as proposed already provides for multiple prosthetic and/or orthopedic appliances. As explained above, § 3.810(a)(2) provides that a veteran is entitled to an annual clothing allowance for each prosthetic or orthopedic appliance used by the veteran if each appliance affects a distinct article of clothing and § 3.810(a)(3) provides for two clothing allowances based on the cumulative effects of multiple appliances on a single article of clothing.
The seventh commenter stated that currently, only metal-hinged prosthetic devices qualify for the clothing allowance and that VA should cover wear and tear caused by plastic-hinged prosthetics as well. The commenter further stated that prescription skin cream for the “face, neck, hands, arms, or any area not covered by clothing may come into contact with clothing, causing discoloration or rapid deterioration.” VA appreciates these comments; however, VA makes no change to the rule based on these comments for the following reasons. The term “prosthetic * * * appliance” in § 3.810(a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii)(A), (a)(2) and (3) includes plastic-hinged prosthetics and is not limited to metal-hinged prosthetic devices. With regard to the comment about medication that comes in contact with clothing, § 3.810(a) does not limit entitlement to a clothing allowance to medications that are covered by clothing. Rather a veteran is entitled to a clothing allowance if any physician- prescribed medication used for a skin condition caused by a service-connected disability irreparably damages the veteran's outergarment. As such, VA makes no change based on this comment.
VA received an eighth and final comment from the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, Inc. (NOVA). NOVA suggested that VA revise § 3.810(a)(1)(i) to clarify that a veteran is entitled to one clothing allowance if a VA examination or hospital or examination report from a facility specified in 38 CFR 3.326(b) establishes that physician-prescribed medication for a skin condition due to a service-connected disability causes irreparable damage to the veteran's outergarments. VA makes no change based on this comment because it is beyond the scope of this rulemaking. Section 3.810(a)(1)(i) restates, without change, VA's long-standing policy of providing that claims for clothing allowance that are based on certain types of disabilities (i.e., the loss or loss of use of a hand or foot compensable at the rate prescribed in 38 CFR 3.350(a), (b), (c), (d), or (f)) may be decided without the requirement for a certification from the VA Under Secretary for Health, or his or her designee, of medical facts establishing eligibility for the clothing allowance. Section 3.810(a)(1)(ii) correspondingly provides that, in all other clothing allowance claims, including claims based on use of prescribed medication and claims based on use of a prosthetic or orthopedic device for conditions other than those specified in § 3.810(a)(1)(i), certification from the Under Secretary for Health or his or her designee is necessary. VA's proposed rule did not propose to change this long-standing policy concerning the circumstances in which certification of medical facts is required. The purpose of this rule is to amend 38 CFR 3.810(a)(2) and (3) “to implement Sursely,” which addressed a veteran's entitlement to two clothing allowances for independently qualifying orthopedic appliances affecting different articles of clothing. 76 FR 5733; Sursely, 551 F.3d at 1356.
VA will make the following non-substantive technical changes to the final rule to enhance clarity. The parenthetical “(including a wheelchair)” was included in proposed § 3.810(a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)(A), but was not included in proposed § 3.810(a)(2) and (3). VA will revise the parenthetical in § 3.810(a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)(A) to read “(including, but not limited to, a wheelchair)” and also add this parenthetical after the term “orthopedic appliance” in paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) to clearly state that all qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliances, in addition to a wheelchair, are included.
VA will replace the term “distinct” in the title of § 3.810(a)(2) with the term “multiple types of” in order to clarify that more than one clothing allowance is payable when more than one type of garment is affected. Similarly, in § 3.810(a)(2)(ii), VA will replace the term “distinct” with “more than one type of” to clarify that more than one clothing allowance is payable when more than one type of article of clothing or outergarment is affected. We will also insert “type of” after “single” in the title of § 3.810(a)(3) and in § 3.810(a)(3)(ii) and will replace “an outergarment” with “a type of outergarment” in § 3.810(a)(3)(ii). This will clarify that the references to garments or clothing in this regulation are to types of garments, such as shirts, rather than to individual garments, such as a specific shirt.
In § 3.810(a)(3)(ii), VA will replace the phrase “at a faster rate than if affected by one qualifying appliance or medication” with “at an increased rate of damage to the clothing or outergarment due to a second appliance or medication.” This language will clarify that a second clothing allowance may be paid when a second appliance and/or medication increases the rate of damage to the clothing or outergarment.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program numbers and titles for this proposed rule are 64.013, Veterans Prosthetic Appliances; and 64.109, Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability. Signing Authority Back to Top
2.Revise § 3.810, paragraph (a) to read as follows: § 3.810 Clothing allowance.
(i) A VA examination or a hospital or examination report from a facility specified in § 3.326(b) establishes that the veteran, because of a service-connected disability or disabilities due to loss or loss of use of a hand or foot compensable at a rate specified in § 3.350(a), (b), (c), (d), or (f), wears or uses one qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (including, but not limited to, a wheelchair) which tends to wear or tear clothing; or