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

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and chronic ACL tear, but has remanded his claims for left knee disability and right foot plantar fasciitis due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing service treatment records and insufficient evidence of in-service injury. The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral pes planus and left ankle disability, which were recharacterized as foot disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, prostate enlargement, right foot disability, and left foot disability due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.,There is no credible evidence showing that the Veteran had any hearing loss or prostate issues during his active duty. The earliest documented hearing loss was more than 50 years after separation from service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, as he is limited to sedentary work due to his foot and knee conditions.

Service connection is granted for migraine headaches and pes planus. The Veteran's sinusitis, anxiety, chest pains, neck disability, radiculopathy in the left upper extremity, and residuals of a head injury/ TBI are being remanded for further development.,The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly adjudicate the claims of service connection for sinusitis, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as anxiety), chest pains, neck disability, radiculopathy in the left upper extremity, and residuals of a head injury/ TBI.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating claims related to his right foot, left foot, right knee strain, and right ankle strain.,The Veteran's appeal was withdrawn by his representative.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete service records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral foot condition, lower back condition, and radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The issues of service connection for a back disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral pes planus and its relationship to service, particularly his right knee degenerative joint disease.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, sinus condition due to Gulf War exposures, bilateral foot disability (fibromatosis and plantar fascitis), and throat disability (post-surgical removal of vocal cord polyps).,There is no evidence of pre-existing conditions or aggravation during service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee condition and left foot pes planus on the basis of in-service aggravation. The Veteran contends that his left knee disability is due to parachute jump landings, while his left foot pes planus was aggravated by multiple jumps during service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,An effective date prior to December 26, 2017, for the award of service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral foot and finger conditions, significantly limit his ability to engage in gainful employment consistent with his prior work experience. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined effects of these disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to VA's failure to obtain private medical records from a provider who treated the Veteran since 1998. The Veteran claims he injured his left foot during active duty service.

The Board has remanded the cases due to new evidence being added to the claims file, and the Veteran wants an initial review by the AOJ.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches, exercise-induced asthma, lumbago with L3-L4 disc herniation, cervical spine strain post-fusion C5-C6 with disc bulging and stenosis, bilateral plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spurs left heel, noncompensable right ear hearing loss, prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 20, 2021. The Board granted the Veteran's claim for an extraschedular TDIU during this period.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disabilities, specifically his left foot plantar fasciitis and right foot post calcaneal spur with residual, were rated at a single 30 percent rating as of March 5, 2019. The Board found that the symptoms continued to meet the criteria for a severe foot injury under Diagnostic Code 5284.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of various conditions, including a left ankle disability and lumbar spine issues, has been remanded due to incomplete medical records. The initial ratings for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis and malunion of the left little finger have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional medical opinions regarding his sleep apnea, left foot disability, and back disability. The claims for service connection are related to secondary theories of entitlement.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for right lower radiculopathy, sciatic was denied. The Board found that no communication prior to June 14, 2018, reasonably could be interpreted as a request for this condition. Additionally, it is not factually ascertainable that the Veteran had right lower extremity radiculopathy during the period from June 14, 2017, to June 13, 2018, when he filed his claim for an increased rating of lumbar spine disability.