Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation during or by his service and that any pre-existing condition did not worsen beyond its natural progression.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including right and left foot disabilities, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, sleep apnea, heart disability, and cervical spine disability. The Veteran's assertions were not supported by medical evidence or credible supporting statements.,No current diagnoses of these conditions have been established in the record.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection as they are related to his active duty service. The lumbosacral strain, bilateral foot disability, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's request for self-employment assistance through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) was granted. The decision found that the Veteran has a serious employment handicap due to his service-connected disabilities, which necessitated selection of self-employment as the only reasonably feasible vocational goal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including sleep apnea, insomnia, a neck disability, erectile dysfunction, right and left knee disabilities, and foot disabilities. The issues are related to in-service symptoms and injuries.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disability, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to her in-service symptoms and do not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Board dismissed all claims due to the Veteran's death, as they have no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims on appeal at this time.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various foot, ankle, spine, and shoulder conditions have been granted. The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing conditions were aggravated by his military service or caused by other service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle and foot disabilities as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disability.

The Board has found that additional evidence was added to the claims file since the April 2016 SOC and requires remand for further action, including obtaining any outstanding VA and private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to their secondary relationship to a pre-existing foot disability. The claim for bilateral pes planus on the basis of in-service aggravation is granted.

The Board has remanded four issues: increased rating for a bilateral foot disability, rating in excess of 10 percent for skin disabilities, SMC based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status, and TDIU. The reasons are that there may be outstanding VA treatment records and private treatment records from Dr. Das.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inconsistencies in the VRC evaluation and need for a new assessment of his employment feasibility given his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II was granted. The increased rating claims for bilateral plantar fasciitis were denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and lack of compliance with previous instructions. The Veteran's current bilateral foot disability needs further examination to determine its etiology.

The Board has granted service connection for Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) and remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and foot disability.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of hysterectomy, incontinence, and left foot pes planus based on direct service connection due to symptoms that began during service.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a left foot disability due to incomplete medical opinions and the need for additional development.

The petition to reopen a previously denied claim for bilateral pes planus was denied. The petition to reopen a previously denied claim for a back disability was granted, and the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (secondary to service-connected back disability) is remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis was granted a 30% rating effective January 16, 2014. The appeal for higher ratings prior to that date and from May 25, 2019 onwards is denied.