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

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for low back injury, neck injury, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, left elbow disability, and flat feet (pes planus) due to a duty to assist error in obtaining missing service records from Stuttgart, Germany.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral foot disability and left ear hearing loss due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations. The Veteran contends that his current conditions are related to service, while VA examiners have found no evidence of such.

The Veteran's right foot disability is not rated higher than 10 percent, and his headaches are only rated at 30 percent from January 24, 2014 to June 6, 2016.,TDIU was denied as the Veteran could still maintain substantially gainful employment despite his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing condition was aggravated during his period of active duty. The issue of service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis is remanded and will be addressed in a future decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's left foot disability was rated at 10 percent prior to September 26, 2019.,PTSD was rated at 30 percent from November 9, 2015 to February 5, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for hypertension and entitlement to a TDIU prior to April 17, 2018.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.,The Veteran's left foot disability is being remanded as there was insufficient consideration of his reported in-service injury and pain.,The Veteran's left ankle disability is being remanded due to inadequate consideration of his reported in-service injury and pain, as well as the lack of a thorough discussion of aggravation by service-connected tinnitus.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is being remanded because the examiner did not address whether the current condition was aggravated by an in-service injury or if there was any connection to the Veteran’s symptomatology since service.,The Veteran's dermatological condition (actinic keratosis) is being remanded as the VA examiner did not consider a letter from his treating dermatologist regarding the potential causation of the condition during service.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee osteoarthritis, right and left ankle sprain, plantar fascia fibromatosis of the feet, and groin muscle pain of the right leg. The decision is based on credible evidence that these conditions were incurred during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral pes planus and a gynecological disorder (including dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia) are remanded due to inadequate development.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability and bilateral pes planus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.,The Veteran’s bilateral pes planus has not met the criteria for a higher rating prior to February 28, 2019.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete certification of her service treatment records and need for additional development, including VA examinations.

Service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis is granted.,Service connection for liver disorder (claimed as hepatitis) is denied. The Veteran has not been diagnosed with a liver disability, to include hepatitis, during the appeal period.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of February 5, 2017 for the grant of service connection and a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's right leg disability. The decision is based on evidence showing that the Veteran experienced worsening in his condition within one year prior to filing his March 2017 claim.

The Veteran's SMC claim for regular aid and attendance is granted. The automobile allowance claim is denied due to the absence of permanent loss of use of one or both feet, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ankylosis of knees or hips in his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim before July 17, 2002, is remanded for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for right ankle, right foot, and lung disabilities. However, the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disorder (pes planus and plantar fasciitis with heel spurs) is granted as service-connected.,PTSD, anxiety disorder, depression, and insomnia disorder are all granted as service-connected.,Joint pain, tinea corporis prior to September 27, 2013, and a higher disability rating for tinea corporis from September 27, 2013 are remanded.

The Veteran's symptoms are accounted for by diagnosed conditions, and there is no basis for service connection based on undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability. The lumbar spine disability was granted a 20% rating but not in excess of that.