Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2012

The Board found that the Veteran did not experience bilateral plantar fasciitis from January 26, 2005 forward and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete service treatment records and the need for additional development, including obtaining VA, private, and nursing home records. The right elbow disability claim requires a VA examination.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's pes planus, heel spurs, and plantar fasciitis are related to his service. The Veteran has been diagnosed with these conditions during service and they have continued since then.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease is presumed to have been incurred in service due to his exposure to herbicides. Service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and pes planus are granted.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection of his left ankle and foot disabilities, concluding that these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's chest pain is not a chronic disability resulting from service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further action, including scheduling a personal hearing before a traveling Veterans Law Judge at the Winston-Salem, North Carolina RO.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and bilateral calluses, plantar foot are not service-connected. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not shown to have been incurred during or aggravated by his military service, as there was no evidence of hearing loss in service or within one year thereafter. His bilateral calluses were noted during service but the Board found insufficient medical evidence linking them to current conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for pes planus, PTSD, and a compensable evaluation for laceration scar over the left eyebrow. The Veteran did not have PTSD, and his claim for service connection for psychiatric disability other than PTSD is addressed in a separate remand.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right foot condition, including plantar fasciitis and a calcaneal spur, is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a bilateral heel disorder, flat feet, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, gastrointestinal disorders, and erectile dysfunction prior to May 23, 2011. The decision is based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus with foot strain is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder, knee, hip, ankle, and foot disabilities are related to his active service. The skin disability including skin cancer is not presumed or directly linked to his active duty.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disability, including equinus, hammertoes, degenerative joint disease and/or flat feet, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims file.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and evaluations of his left foot plantar fasciitis and left wrist De Quervain' tenosynovitis were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have bilateral pes planus due to disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for migraine headaches, left knee injury, bilateral plantar fasciitis, right ankle disability, left elbow disability, and right elbow disability were denied. The RO increased the rating for migraine headaches to 30 percent in September 2011.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations, and thus denied his claim. For his pes planus/metatarsalgia, the Board determined that it was incurred during service as he had pre-existing pes planus that was aggravated by his military duties.

The Veteran claims service connection for bilateral pes planus, but the claim is being remanded due to a need for additional development and examination.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability, including residuals of frostbite, and his onychomycosis/hypertrophic nails are related to his active military service. The Veteran was exposed to cold weather during service, which led to cold injuries to his feet. His current symptoms have been present since service.