Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2023

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus, effective September 16, 2015. The Veteran's skin condition and hypertension are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's sinusitis is granted service connection as it is presumed to have been caused by his exposure to fine, particulate matter during service in the Persian Gulf. The remaining issues are remanded for further examination and review.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and clarification regarding who is the proper appellant in this appeal, as well as obtaining authorizations to obtain outstanding private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities due to incomplete examination reports and failure to address specific issues raised by the Board in its December 2021 remand. The Veteran is required to provide addendum opinions from different VA examiners addressing these issues.

The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the prior remand directives and thus another remand is required. The Veteran's service-connected foot disabilities include pes planus, plantar fasciitis, and cold injury residuals of both feet. A new VA opinion is needed to distinguish symptomatology among these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for flat feet, neck disability, left arm disability, right leg shin splints, and left leg shin splints due to a lack of substantial compliance with prior remands.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to issues with her left lower extremity radiculopathy, left foot disability, right hip arthritis, and left ankle disability. The appeals are related as they involve disabilities that may be secondary to other conditions in service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right foot pes planus, bilateral pes planus, left foot metatarsalgia, and right foot metatarsalgia were denied. The highest available rating of 20 percent was assigned for right foot pes planus prior to October 2021, and 30 percent thereafter. For left and right foot metatarsalgia, the Veteran is already in receipt of the highest available rating (10 percent).

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including obtaining medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's headaches and right foot conditions. The TDIU claim remains pending as it is intertwined with the right foot rating claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis. The claim for service connection for pes planus remains pending.

The Veteran's widow is seeking to be considered as a substitute claimant for the claims involving diabetes mellitus, type II with diplopia and left foot disability. The case must be remanded so that she can clarify whether she wishes to proceed on an accrued benefits basis or as a substitute claimant.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability, but remanded the issues of service connection for left hip, right hip, left foot, and right foot disabilities due to unclear diagnoses and lack of medical documentation.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he withdrew his claims in a written correspondence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot conditions other than gout and trench foot, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current foot conditions and his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for sinusitis, plantar fasciitis, and rhinitis due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's service treatment records show diagnoses of allergic rhinitis during active duty.

For the period from July 18, 2016 to August 16, 2020, a 50 percent rating for bilateral pes planus is granted.,Prior to July 18, 2016, a rating greater than 30 percent for bilateral pes planus was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to December 1, 2015. The Board found that the evidence was not in 'approximate balance' or 'nearly equal' with the evidence supporting his claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been received. The Veteran's varicose veins claim is being remanded, as are her carpal tunnel syndrome of the upper extremities, multiple sclerosis (MS) or MS-like disability, bilateral foot disability, and bilateral hand disability claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right foot disability, other than radiculopathy, is related to her service-connected left lower extremity and/or lumbar spine disabilities. As a result, the appeal for service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's left thumb disability, diagnosed as De Quervain's Tenosynovitis, is granted service connection due to wheelchair use related to his service-connected left tibial fracture. The claim for bilateral pes planus remains pending and requires further development.