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VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 5276 (flat feet); 5269 (plantar fasciitis)
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.
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 35,218 real Board appeals for Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet)
A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are historical outcomes, not a prediction of your case.
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Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) was linked to service:
In appeals where Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) was the only condition decided and the Board granted it, the rating most often assigned was:
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.
The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50% and cannot be increased.,SMC at the housebound rate is granted from January 11, 2021 due to multiple service-connected disabilities.,A TDIU rating effective October 28, 2011 is granted based on inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to migraine headaches.,Eligibility for DEA benefits is granted but no earlier than the date of claim (April 5, 1999).
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
The Veteran's left knee condition, bilateral foot disabilities, and keratoconus have been granted service connection.,A reduction in the rating for hemorrhoids was improper, and the original rating of 20 percent has been restored.
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Marfan's syndrome was dismissed as the appellant withdrew his request.,Service connection is granted for left lower extremity neuropathy of the sciatic nerve (left foot disability) and peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity. The low back degenerative arthritis has also been granted.
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted. The initial rating of 10 percent, but not higher, has been assigned for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Service connection has also been established for migraine headaches, degenerative arthritis in the left knee, right knee disorder (osteoarthritis), right ankle sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, bilateral flat feet, and various foot conditions.
Jump to the decisions from a specific year.
New decisions are added every week, and older years are actively being backfilled — a year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.
Veterans appealing Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) often look at outcomes for these too:
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