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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for plantar fasciitis and flat feet (pes planus) has been remanded due to the submission of new evidence that is relevant to his claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back disability, bilateral foot disabilities (including pes planus and plantar fasciitis), right knee disability, and left knee disability due to the need for additional evidence or examination. The issues are being returned to the AOJ for further review.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the issue regarding service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis before a decision was made.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, left shoulder condition, and right shoulder condition. The evidence did not show new and relevant information that could change the outcome of these claims.

The Veteran's plantar fasciitis is found to have been incurred during his military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate these claims as he died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sinus bradycardia was voluntarily withdrawn. The RO granted a 30 percent rating for migraines and granted separate ratings of 10 percent each for right knee strain with shin splints s/p arthroscopy, right knee instability, and right knee post-operative meniscectomy. The appeal concerning left shoulder disability, plantar warts, left knee disability, and internal hemorrhoids is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis is rated at 30 percent, the maximum schedular rating for this condition.

The Veteran's death was attributed to multiple blunt force injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, not related to his service-connected conditions. The Board found no evidence linking the cause of death to active duty or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of flatfeet was first manifested during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and an earlier effective date was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or an earlier effective date.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral foot plantar wart disability, finding that the evidence did not support a current disability related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pes planus was aggravated by service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea prior to October 10, 2022 is remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, effective from November 6, 1991, which is one day after his separation from active duty. The decision also grants a revision of the April 1993 rating decision to establish an earlier effective date.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service connected. The other claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral pes planus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, melanoma, right knee replacement as secondary to bilateral pes planus, and sleep apnea due to potential duty-to-assist errors.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, right calf strain, and tinnitus as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or during the presumptive period after service.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI was denied because it was received more than two years after the August 1997 grant of service connection, and there is no evidence suggesting mental incompetence during that period.

The Veteran's attorney is not eligible for direct payment of fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the January 2024 decision because it was the initial decision on TDIU and SMC, which were part of a new claim filed in July 2023. The November 2023 rating decision was the initial decision on the left foot disability issue.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of sufficient rationale in the December 2019 VA examination, and the need for an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current bilateral foot conditions were caused by or aggravated during service.