Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2003

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, but denied the other issues due to lack of a waiver from the veteran regarding the examination reports.

The Board is remanding the case for further development, including a VA examination and obtaining medical records. The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus will be reconsidered after these steps.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disability, pes planus, acne, and bilateral knee disability. The veteran's preexisting conditions were found to have been aggravated by his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a left foot disability with an initial evaluation of 10 percent effective August 4, 2001.

The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and found no basis for granting the requested increased evaluations for pes planus and otitis media.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting pes planus of the right foot did not worsen during service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating of bilateral pes planus, service connection for a fractured right 4th toe, and TDIU.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, effective December 1988. The claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss remains unresolved.

The Board has determined that the veteran's congenital flat feet were aggravated by his service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's mild pes planus was noted at enlistment and did not increase in severity during his brief period of active service. The evidence does not support a finding that his flat feet were aggravated by service, as there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption of soundness. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus is denied.

The veteran's appeal to reduce the evaluation of his service-connected right foot disability from 10% to noncompensable was denied because he did not file a timely substantive appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral pes planus, which was initially granted service connection for in July 2001 and rated at 10 percent effective September 21, 2000, does not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable evaluation for migraine headaches and service connection for a psychiatric disorder, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and folliculitis. The issues of entitlement to higher initial evaluations for fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome have been resolved as granted by the RO.

The veteran's initial ratings for his right foot disability and degenerative joint disease of both knees have been denied. The RO assigned a 20% evaluation for the right foot disability, effective June 1, 1999.

The Board has determined that the veteran's plantar fasciitis is not etiologically or causally related to his service-connected lumbar spine and/or right knee disabilities, nor is it aggravated by these conditions. Therefore, the claim for secondary service connection for plantar fasciitis was denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting bilateral pes planus did not undergo a permanent increase in severity during his active service and concluded that it was not aggravated by service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to new legal requirements under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 and because additional evidence was obtained. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected pes cavus disorder will be reconsidered with consideration given to this new evidence.

The veteran's initial claims for service connection for a ganglion cyst of the right wrist and plantar fasciitis of the left foot were granted. However, his appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for the ganglion cyst of the right wrist was denied as there is no functional loss associated with this disability. For the plantar fasciitis of the left foot, he received a 10 percent evaluation initially and later received a 20 percent evaluation starting from July 26, 1999.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current back, leg, thigh, bilateral ankle, or bilateral foot disability related to her service-connected knee disabilities. Therefore, she is denied entitlement to service connection for these conditions.