Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet)

Foot problems like flat feet (the VA calls this "flatfoot, acquired" or pes planus) and plantar fasciitis are rated as musculoskeletal conditions under 38 CFR 4.71a. To be "service-connected," the VA generally looks for evidence that the injury or disease started during your military service, or that service made a condition you already had worse. Under 38 CFR 3.303, this means the facts must show the disability was incurred or aggravated during service. This can be shown directly with records, or in some cases through legal presumptions.

Flat feet are rated under Diagnostic Code 5276. The percentage goes up as the condition gets more serious. Mild flat feet that get better with a built-up shoe or arch support are rated 0%. "Moderate" flat feet (pain on use, the weight-bearing line over or inside the big toe) are rated 10%. "Severe" flat feet with marked deformity, pain, swelling on use, and callouses are rated 20% for one foot or 30% for both. "Pronounced" flat feet with marked pronation, extreme tenderness, and severe spasm not helped by special shoes are rated 30% for one foot or 50% for both. With actual loss of use of the foot, the rating is 40%.

Plantar fasciitis has its own Diagnostic Code, 5269. It is rated 10% in most cases. If it gets no relief from both non-surgical and surgical treatment, it is rated 20% for one foot or 30% for both feet, and 40% with actual loss of use of the foot. In short, what drives a higher percentage for both conditions is how severe and disabling the foot problem is, whether one or both feet are affected, and whether treatment helps.

Unlike some illnesses tied to toxic exposure, common foot conditions like flat feet and plantar fasciitis are usually established through direct service connection under 38 CFR 3.303 rather than through an exposure "presumptive" pathway such as Agent Orange, burn pits, or the PACT Act, so the link to service normally still needs to be shown. If a claim is denied, that is a starting point, not the end, and there are review and appeal options. This is educational information about how the VA's rules generally work, not legal advice or a VA decision about your own claim.