Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been withdrawn. The issues of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for hemorrhoids, tinea pedis (athlete's foot), asthma, a disability manifested by chest pain, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and bilateral plantar fasciitis are dismissed.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus disability is rated at 50 percent effective May 4, 2009. The Board also granted entitlement to TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the left foot neuropathy was not present until multiple years after service, and is not otherwise related to service. For the knees and back, the criteria for higher ratings have not been met.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for sinusitis, left knee disability, and bilateral pes planus. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, a bilateral foot disability, and an eye disability. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam, and the conditions are not presumed to be due to such exposure.

The Veteran's initial rating claims for lumbar spondylolisthesis and degenerative disc disease, bilateral pes planus, and left ankle disorder have been granted. The claim for a left knee disorder has been withdrawn.,Service connection was established for grade IV chondromalacia of distal left intermediate cuneiform and remote avulsion of the left anterior talofibular ligament distal fibula.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including an addendum opinion from the September 2015 DBQ examiner to address the noted deficiencies and ensure compliance with the Board's previous remand.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with foot callosities are not manifested by symptoms that meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, and therefore, his claim is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, a right ankle disability, and a right foot disability. The decision also addressed an increased rating claim for residuals of a gunshot wound to the right thigh but that issue is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and VA treatment records, as well as providing the Veteran with a VA examination to determine the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sinus disability, and bilateral foot disability.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any currently diagnosed low back disability and left foot disability, as these claims are related to service-connected right knee disability. The Veteran's claims for secondary service connection will be reconsidered after the examinations.

The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral foot disorder other than service-connected onychomycosis, to include pes planus. The Veteran's claimed condition was not incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the claims of service connection for bilateral pes planus, residuals of prostate cancer with erectile dysfunction, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, acute sinusitis, and residuals of a left ear cystectomy. The Board does not have jurisdiction to consider these matters.

The Veteran's tinnitus was first documented postservice and is not shown to be related to service. The left foot disability, diagnosed as metatarsalgia, has no chronic manifestation in the service records.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a left foot disability are denied.

The Board has reopened the service connection claim for bilateral flat feet and is remanding the case to the RO for further development. The Veteran's testimony of having no foot problems prior to service entrance and his belief that his foot trouble began in service are considered.

The Board found no current diagnosis of bilateral plantar fasciitis or temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran's pes planus with plantar fasciitis was rated at 10% prior to January 6, 2012 and now warrants a 50% rating effective from that date. His degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is currently rated as 20%. The radiculopathy in his lower extremities are each rated at 10%. These ratings reflect the severity of the Veteran's disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral pes planus, a bilateral knee disability, and depressive disorder. The Veteran's current thoracolumbar spine scoliosis is considered a developmental disease for VA purposes; it manifested in service and is etiologically related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient VCAA notice provided to the Veteran.

The Veteran's dry eye syndrome is currently rated as non-compensable, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted.,For his service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis, the Veteran has been granted a 50 percent disability rating from October 1, 2007 to July 20, 2015. The claim for an increased rating beyond this period remains denied.