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

The Veteran's right hand fifth digit fracture residuals are rated as noncompensable, and his right foot cold injury residuals are rated at 20 percent.,Service connection for left foot pes planus is denied. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety and unspecified trauma disorder) is granted.,The Veteran's left foot pes planus was not increased in severity during service, and the Board finds that his acquired psychiatric disorder is causally related to military service.

The Board has decided that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral pes planus is related to service, and therefore remands the case for this purpose.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pes planus and left foot plantar fasciitis began during service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, increased evaluations for bilateral plantar fasciitis with DJD and heel spurs, gout, and shin splints. The evidence did not support a diagnosis of tinnitus or current disability related to military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for his service-connected conditions, finding that there was no evidence of an increase in severity within one year prior to May 31, 2011. The effective date for the increased rating from 10 percent to 30 percent for bilateral flat feet is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to obtain recent VA treatment records and conduct current VA examinations regarding his service-connected disabilities. The issues of increased ratings for various conditions are being remanded.

The Veteran is entitled to a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to July 25, 2014 due to his service-connected disabilities that rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder osteoarthritis, right and left foot plantar fasciitis, tinea pedis, and tinea cruris as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.,Service connection was also denied for rhinitis and stomach disability.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis (formerly calcaneal heel spurs) was granted a 30 percent rating prior to January 22, 2020. Since then, the issue is denied as his condition does not warrant an increased rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral hammer toes, and hallux rigidus of the right foot as they were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of various disabilities as they are all related to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hammertoes, was denied. The Veteran also had claims for increased ratings for headaches and chronic bronchitis with asthma which were partially granted.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for plantar fibromatosis is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including another examination to distinguish between symptoms attributable to service-connected and nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board has ordered a new examination for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine and both feet disabilities due to incomplete examination reports. The issues of increased ratings remain in remand status.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee disorder, bilateral foot disorder, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's pes planus was granted service connection as it pre-existed his military service and worsened during active duty. Service connection for high cholesterol is denied as it does not constitute a disability. Right ear hearing loss has been established as related to service.,Bilateral shoulder, elbow, and knee conditions are remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine their etiology. The Veteran's eye disorder, including residuals of cataract surgery, also requires further examination to assess its relationship with his diabetes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development, including a neurological examination.,Service connection is denied for right foot disability and left flatfoot.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left foot disabilities due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service. The Veteran's claim for a left shoulder disability is remanded as VA records are incomplete.

The Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis with hallux valgus was initially evaluated at 10 percent prior to September 30, 2014. Since then, a higher evaluation of 30 percent has been granted.,Prior to September 30, 2014, the Veteran's left foot hallux valgus did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation as it was not equivalent to amputation of the great toe and surgery had already been performed. Since then, no higher evaluation is warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA and SSA records and conducting a new VA examination.