Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2002

The veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a right foot disability on a secondary basis are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and did not find new and material evidence to reopen his claims of service connection for bilateral pes planus and photophobia. The veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but the RO found no evidence that the veteran had bilateral pes planus or photophobia during service.

The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the appellant's service-connected bilateral pes planus, which is the maximum allowable under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for bilateral pes planus with hammertoe deformity, effective from July 1, 1996.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's preexisting bilateral pes planus was aggravated by her service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the appellant's bilateral pes planus was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied his claim. The right shoulder arthritis was rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 5203.

The veteran's TDIU claim was denied as he did not meet the schedular criteria for a grant of TDIU prior to March 5, 2001. The effective date is set at March 5, 2001.

The VA determined that the veteran's bilateral plantar plantalgia was not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral pes planus and granted it, finding that his congenital condition was aggravated by active service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, metatarsalgia of the right foot and left flatfoot with bilateral plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, bursitis of the left hip, PTSD, and TDIU.

The veteran's TDIU claim was granted effective from October 5, 1998. The RO found that the veteran had been prevented from engaging in substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected heart condition since July 31, 1997.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to special monthly compensation for loss of use of both feet with retroactive payment of increased benefits and an increased rating for bilateral third degree pes planus. The decision found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the May 1990 decision.

The Board found that the veteran's pes planus pre-existed his entry into service, but was aggravated during his period of service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis/heel spurs and assigned a 10 percent initial disability evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot problems, including pes planus, degenerative joint disease of the left mid foot and hyperhidrosis of both feet, as these conditions were not shown to be related to his period of active duty from January 1989 to January 23, 1993.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and gastrointestinal disorder. However, the evidence does not support reopening of a claim for service connection for a back disorder secondary to bilateral pes planus.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material for the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, and bilateral foot disability. Therefore, these claims are denied.

The Board has granted increased ratings for the veteran's left ankle/foot disability and right lower extremity disability, with a rating of 20 percent each.

The veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis was manifested by pain on palpation of each foot, without associated clinical or radiological abnormality. The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the period prior to April 16, 2002.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, which was previously denied in January 1998.