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

The Board has reinstated the Veteran's 30 percent disability rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis, effective July 1, 2023, after finding that the reduction was improper due to a failure to observe procedural requirements.

The Board has remanded all issues on appeal due to the need for additional verification of the Veteran's service periods and incomplete records. The claims will be reconsidered with this information.

The Board has determined that there are errors in the decision-making process and requires additional evidence to be obtained before the claims can be properly evaluated. The Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities, including migraine headaches, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis with metatarsalgia, and GERD are being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service aggravation and clear and unmistakable evidence that his pes planus did not worsen beyond its natural progression during service.

The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral strain and pes planus, finding that new and relevant evidence had not been submitted to warrant readjudication of the claim for lumbosacral strain and that there was no evidence supporting a direct or secondary connection between the Veteran's disabilities and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to December 5, 2017 for the grant of service connection for bilateral feet disability was denied.,The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for left ankle achilles tendinitis and right foot disability are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for pes planus of both feet due to procedural errors and the need for further development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus is remanded due to the need for a VA examination with an opinion on the etiology of the condition.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for bilateral flat feet is denied as the earliest possible effective date is November 13, 2020.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis, left foot hammer toes, and right foot hammertoes as these claims have been fully granted in an August 2024 rating decision.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy was restored to a 20% evaluation. The claims for bilateral ankle disability and foot disability are remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral flatfoot disability, plantar fasciitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and prostate cancer are all granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's disability ratings for cervicalgia and bilateral pes planus were improperly reduced, and the VA has restored the original ratings of 20 percent and 50 percent respectively.

The Veteran's preexisting bilateral pes planus was aggravated during active service, and the Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus and bilateral plantar fasciitis were dismissed because the Veteran did not timely file a VA Form 10182 (Notice of Disagreement) to appeal the denial of these claims.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU, DEA benefits, and SMC prior to October 2, 2017 was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability during this period due to his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran also did not have a permanent total service-connected disability in effect prior to October 2, 2017. Effective April 19, 2021, but no earlier, the Veteran was granted SMC benefits based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to various dates have been dismissed as the decisions were final and not subject to revision.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and bilateral tendonitis, finding that the evidence supports a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has decided that service connection for plantar fasciitis is denied. The remaining claims of service connection for allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchitis with chronic cough, anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, acid reflux with nausea, benign prostatic hyperplasia with voiding dysfunction, kidney stones, cervicalgia, lumbago, sciatica, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral elbow epicondylitis, a left knee condition, and right knee strain are remanded for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes, left foot injury, left ankle disability, and left hip disability due to incomplete military personnel records and lack of VA treatment records. The Veteran's service connection claims will be reconsidered after obtaining these records.