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

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for low back and foot disabilities. The claims remain denied.

The veteran's service connection for bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis is granted. The claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and unclear findings regarding the veteran's pes planus condition. The RO is directed to obtain additional evidence, including from alternative sources such as Air Force Reserve records or private medical providers.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the feet and increased evaluations for bilateral pes planus and lumbosacral strain with osteoarthritis. The conditions are not presumed due to exposure, and there is no indication that they were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board found no evidence of current disabilities in the conditions listed, and thus denied service connection for all claimed disabilities.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of claims for service connection for left foot and right foot disabilities.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral pes planus, service connection for low back disability and bilateral knee disability, service connection for headaches as secondary to flat feet, and service connection for a skin lesion of the left buttock due to microwave radiation exposure. The current status of these claims is pending further action.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right and left ankles with below the knee amputation of each, as well as bilateral pes planus. The evidence did not show that these conditions were related to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his upper extremity and wrist disorders, render him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left foot disability (pes planus) and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with arthropathy, sacralization, and scoliosis due to lack of evidence establishing a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to new evidence received since the August 2003 statement of the case.

The Board has determined that the veteran's foot and heel disorder is not related to his service or his service-connected right knee disorder, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The VA has granted a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected hammer toes of the right foot, postoperative. The veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for low back strain with herniated nucleus pulposus and bilateral plantar fascitiis are being remanded due to inadequate notice under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected cervical spine, lumbar spine, right shoulder, and plantar fasciitis disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of fractured feet and pes planus (flat feet), finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or aggravation, and thus denying both claims.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral foot disability was not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence linking it to any injury or disease during his military service. The adductovarus deformity of the fifth toe first manifested many years after service and was not caused by shoe gear.

The veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including granuloma annulare, degenerative joint disease and impingement syndrome of the shoulders, causalgia and type I complex regional pain syndrome of the left knee and heel, as well as joint pain of the right ankle, right knee, and hips were denied. The claims were reopened on new evidence.

The case is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a podiatry examination.

The VA has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and assigned a 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum available under current criteria.