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

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's reports of in-service bilateral foot pain during his active duty service.

Anemia (iron deficiency) was granted a 10% rating effective April 28, 2008.,Bilateral pes planus and bilateral hallux valgus were granted a 10% rating effective June 4, 2010.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for a 30 percent rating for bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support such an award prior to May 1, 2014.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis was granted a 50% evaluation from February 3, 2017. The claim for an increased rating prior to that date is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for hallux rigidus, great toe adhesive capsulitis, calcaneal spur, pes planus, metatarsalgia, and hallux valgus of the right foot. The issues of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disability, finding no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and requests for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, right hip and bilateral pes planus disabilities as secondary to the service-connected bilateral knee disability due to an altered gait. The Veteran needs VA opinions on whether these conditions were caused or aggravated by his service-connected knee disability.

The Veteran's tonsil cancer is granted service connection as it was caused by exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in service. Service connection for bilateral knee disability, bilateral foot disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus are denied due to lack of a nexus between the disabilities and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the submission of new medical evidence since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC). The issues include service connection for various foot, ankle, back, wrist, skin, and shoulder conditions.

The Board has found that the VA examinations did not substantially comply with the May 2019 remand directives and for a duty to assist error. The claims are being remanded for new VA medical opinions to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed migraines, lower back, left knee and left foot disabilities in light of the particular circumstances of the in-service motor vehicle accident described by the Veteran as well as other documented instances of lower back injury.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral pes planus and spinal stenosis due to in-service complaints, post-service diagnoses, and assertions of a nexus between service and current disabilities. Further VA examination is required.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder is granted a 30% rating, but no more. The lumbosacral strain with IVDS claim is denied. Service connection for bilateral foot disorders is also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right foot, skin, pulmonary, and back disabilities due to incomplete development of records and need for additional examinations.

The Board has decided that another VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right foot disabilities, including pes planus and hallux valgus. The current opinion from January 2020 was deemed inadequate due to its failure to consider whether the Veteran's pre-existing conditions were clearly and unmistakably not aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral shin splints, bilateral knee disability, right ankle disability, bilateral pes planus, and a skin disability due to additional development.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the cases of back disability and bilateral foot disability. The claims are being returned to VA for further development.

The Veteran's lumbar spondylosis is rated at 20 percent, but no higher. The other issues are remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to exposure to environmental hazards during Gulf War service, including headaches/migraines, right foot disability, body rash, gastrointestinal disorder, joint pain (neck and other unspecified joints), bilateral hand disability (numbness in hands), sleep disturbances, memory loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran is also remanded for a TDIU claim.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for injuries sustained in an aviation accident during vocational training, finding that the Veteran did not have a service-connected disability at the time of the injury and thus was not eligible for chapter 31 benefits.