Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2024

The Board has denied service connection for a left foot disability and remanded the claim of service connection for sleep disorder or disturbance. The Veteran's current claims are being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including bilateral pes planus, left foot condition, right foot condition, sleep apnea, left hip condition, right hip condition, tooth condition, and left shoulder condition. The Board has denied the claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for bilateral pes planus.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service and the claim for service connection is granted. The claim for bilateral pes planus disability is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board has remanded the case due to an error in providing notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing prior to issuing its decision. The AOJ is instructed to provide the Veteran with such notice and then readjudicate her claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for pes planus/flat feet, bilateral Achilles tendonitis, bilateral hammertoes, and calluses of the bilateral feet due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's service treatment records show foot complaints in service, but there is uncertainty about whether any increase in severity during service was due to natural progression or service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete medical records and inadequate opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder, lumbosacral strain, bilateral foot xerosis, bilateral shoulder impingement syndrome, right elbow disability manifested by pain, bilateral foot acquired pes planus and plantar fasciitis, left elbow lateral epicondylitis and tendinitis, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left foot acquired pes planus and plantar fasciitis, and erectile dysfunction are all granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing bilateral pes planus was not aggravated by service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection for right foot disability other than pes planus, left foot disability other than pes planus, and left elbow disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for pes planus and flat foot is dismissed as the appeal is not ripe for appellate review.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis has been granted a 40% disability rating, effective August 25, 2015. The Veteran's GERD has also been granted a 30% disability rating, effective July 1, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for chronic bronchitis cough was granted. The left wrist disability, acquired psychiatric disabilities (anxiety, insomnia, short-term memory loss and lack of concentration, social adjustment disorder with anger issues), bilateral pes planus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, vitamin D deficiency, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and skin disability (shingles) were denied. The Veteran's upper respiratory infection(s) other than chronic bronchitis was not addressed in the decision.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus has been denied as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because there is no current diagnosis or evidence that the Veteran had a hearing loss disability at any time during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring the Veteran to undergo a VA examination to determine if his current pes planus is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's current bilateral foot disorders and their relation to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various orthopedic disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a causal relationship to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection of right and left foot disabilities, as well as right and left shin pain, must be remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The claims are inextricably intertwined with each other.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or continuity of symptoms for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for plantar fasciitis was dismissed because the VA Form 10182 she submitted as an appeal was not timely and did not provide proper appellate rights.

The Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis is granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent, effective July 5, 2021. The earlier effective date for service connection for right foot plantar fasciitis is also granted.