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

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral pes planus, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and a left hip disorder were denied. The claim for tinnitus was granted.,Service connection for the Veteran’s right hip disorder, left knee disorder, and right shoulder disorder was not established.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected bilateral pes planus from September 26, 2007 to January 19, 2016, finding the Veteran's disability picture did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's cold injury residuals of the right and left feet have been granted increased ratings, with a 30% rating for both feet as of May 26, 2011. The TDIU claim has also been granted from April 27, 2015.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral foot disorder, right ankle disorder, and right-side pain disorder due to inadequate examinations and incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's back pain and bilateral knee osteoarthritis are found to be related to his active duty service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.,Service connection is also granted for the Veteran's bilateral pes planus, as it was aggravated by his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back, bilateral shoulder, left elbow, and left foot disabilities due to inadequate VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral foot condition, including gout, pes planus, and plantar fasciitis. The claim for service connection of prostate cancer is remanded.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral hip disability, bilateral foot disability, and hypertension due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication, including obtaining an opinion on whether the Veteran's back disability is secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, bilateral foot, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to his right knee disability. The VA examiners found no evidence of a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service or any other condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right knee chondromalacia with tibial stress injury, left shoulder strain, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and spondylosis, bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis, left great toe strain, and right great toe strain. The reasons include the need for updated VA outpatient treatment records and more contemporaneous examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for Degenerative Joint Disease of the lumbar spine and Plantar fasciitis as secondary to a right femoral neck fracture, finding that there is no evidence or allegation that these conditions are related to military service on a direct or presumptive basis.

The Veteran's urinary tract infection claim was dismissed as she withdrew her appeal.,Service connection for aggravation of preexisting bilateral pes planus condition is granted. The Board finds the evidence at least in equipoise that the Veteran’s preexisting pes planus was aggravated during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disorders, including hammer toes, pes cavus, plantar fasciitis, and degenerative arthritis, were not incurred in service and are not otherwise related to it. Therefore, service connection for a bilateral foot disorder is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to missing or incomplete service records. The Veteran's complete service medical and personnel records, including retirement points statements and a list of periods of inactive duty training (IADT), active duty training (ADT), and active duty, must be obtained.

The Veteran's left and right ankle disorders have been rated as 10 percent disabling prior to June 12, 2019, and a 20 percent rating has been granted for the right ankle disorder from that date. The bilateral pes planus was initially assigned noncompensable ratings until June 12, 2019, when it was increased to 10 percent.,The Veteran seeks higher ratings for his left and right ankle disorders, as well as an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his bilateral pes planus. The case is being remanded due to the need for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection, rating, and TDIU due to inadequate examination reports and conflicting findings. The Veteran's right foot disabilities are being examined again, as is his undiagnosed illness and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating due to failure to appear for VA examinations. The case is returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's right foot disability is granted, as the evidence supports a finding that it had its onset during service or is otherwise related to his active service.,Service connection for orthopedic disabilities of the bilateral upper and lower extremities is denied. The Board found no credible evidence linking these conditions to service or any service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for low back degenerative disc disease and strain, but denied service connection for bilateral foot disability.