Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2005

The Board granted service connection for plantar fasciitis, a back disorder secondary to pes planus, and denied service connection for an ankle disorder and knee disorder as secondary to pes planus.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral pes planus with left Achilles tendonitis. The evidence does not support a finding of current disability for bilateral hearing loss, and the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus.

The veteran's appeal is remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining VA and SSA records, conducting a VA examination, and requesting a social and industrial survey. The TDIU claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The veteran's pes cavus of the right foot is rated as slight, with no significant functional impairment. The veteran's pes planus of the left foot is rated as mild, also without significant functional impairment.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board found no evidence of current bilateral inguinal hernias or left foot disability related to service. The claims for residuals of back strain were remanded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions, rendered him materially less capable of resisting the effects of other diseases primarily causing his death.

The VA denied an increased rating for the service-connected pes planus, finding that the veteran's condition does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examination and incomplete evidence.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability, right foot disability, and headaches were denied. His claim for an initial compensable evaluation for his service-connected right ear hearing loss was also denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for pes planus, which was previously denied in an August 1980 rating decision.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of varicose veins and pes planus were denied as the evidence did not show that his conditions warranted higher ratings based on their current severity.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred in service due to herbicide exposure. The veteran's bilateral foot disability and hypertension are not service-connected.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, finding that new evidence supports a claim of service connection for the right ankle disability. The left ankle disability is still under review.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected bilateral foot disability, currently rated at 30 percent.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the pre-existing bilateral pes planus did not increase in severity during service and was not aggravated by any disorder of service origin.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disability is not related to his service-connected bilateral foot disability and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his medical records. The issue remains whether he should receive an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining evidence and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of increased evaluation for bilateral pes planus and earlier effective date for hypertension are also being addressed.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a disability manifested by bilateral plantar fasciitis (claimed as flat feet) due to disease or injury incurred in service. The claim is denied.