Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service-connected plantar fasciitis, status-post surgery, right foot, is granted an initial rating of 30 percent.

The Veteran's right ankle condition is granted a 20 percent rating, and his bilateral feet condition remains at 30 percent. The TDIU claim is denied, and the left wrist condition receives an initial compensable rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for his right and left foot plantar warts, finding that they did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7820.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for medical examinations. The claims include psychiatric, alcoholism, neurological disabilities of the upper and lower extremities, headache disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral foot disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus and low back strain, did not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran withdrew her appeals for the issues of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for Madelung deformity of the right wrist, plantar fasciitis, left foot, chondromalacia patella, right knee with degenerative arthritis, and residuals, left ankle sprain.

Service connection is granted for left knee arthritis and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected acquired psychiatric and musculoskeletal disabilities. Service connection remains denied for bilateral foot disability (pes planus).,The Veteran's left knee arthritis was diagnosed within one year of separation from active duty, meeting presumptive criteria. His obstructive sleep apnea is found to be related to his service-connected psychiatric and musculoskeletal conditions.

The Board denied service connection for pes planus, left foot neuralgia, and right foot neuralgia. The appeal was remanded to consider the claim of service connection for sleep apnea.

The Board has decided that the AOJ failed to adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection and whether his character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits, and has ordered remand.

The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors and requests for medical opinions regarding the Veteran's foot conditions.

The Veteran's prostate cancer was denied service connection as it manifested more than one year after separation and is not shown to be causally related to an in-service injury or disease. The claims for psychiatric, heart, cervical spine, low back, bilateral shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and foot disabilities are remanded due to the failure to obtain examinations and opinions concerning their etiology.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate July 2020 VA medical opinion, which did not address whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities aggravated his obesity. The examiner focused only on causation and did not consider aggravation.

The Veteran's right foot disability, including pes planus and hammer toes, has been granted a separate rating of 30 percent. The right foot tendonitis with history of injury, metatarsalgia, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis remains at 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased rating of psoriatic arthritis, neck disability, bilateral elbow disability, bilateral hip disability, and bilateral foot disability due to insufficient examination reports. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The claim for an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected vertigo is dismissed.,The claim for an effective date earlier than May 1, 2015, for service-connected tinnitus is denied. The earliest date on which service connection for tinnitus may be effective is May 1, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle disorder, left foot numbness and tingling (left foot disability), right foot numbness and tingling (right foot disability), and gastrointestinal disorder, to include GERD. The issues are related to whether these conditions are secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inconsistencies in her Gulf War examination and need for further medical examinations. The issues include undiagnosed illness, folliculitis, Grave's disease, tonsillectomy, and a bilateral foot condition other than pes planus.

The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 50 percent since May 13, 2021. The shrapnel wound of the leg remains rated at 30 percent from August 27, 1997.,Service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, rash (secondary to herbicide exposure), and peripheral neuropathy (secondary to herbicide exposure) is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not of such severity to preclude substantially gainful employment. Additional VA examinations and medical opinions are needed to determine the impact of her service-connected conditions on her employability.

The Veteran's right foot disability is currently rated at 30 percent effective December 11, 2009. The Board has granted a higher rating for the right foot disability.