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

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unemployable since April 15, 2011. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis from that date to September 28, 2015.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition and it is not related to service or a service-connected disability.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. The evidence is at least balanced as to whether his tinnitus began during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on September 24, 2020, and October 8, 2020, by Flat River Family Dentistry due to lack of prior authorization from VA and the absence of a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, including foot pain and plantar fasciitis, finding no evidence of an in-service occurrence or relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeal of his claims for service connection for various conditions was dismissed because the Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was filed more than a year after the most recent decision denying those claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not currently demonstrate an actual need for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's left and right foot disabilities are rated as 50 percent disabling based on symptoms that would be duplicative or overlap symptomatology with his BPTD, which is already evaluated at 50 percent. Therefore, an initial compensable rating for the foot disabilities from July 23, 2010, to February 19, 2022, is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck disability, acquired psychiatric disability (to include insomnia), bilateral foot disability, and back disability are not service-connected. The stomach disability is remanded due to potential exposure at Camp Lejeune.,Service connection for a stomach disability is remanded as there is evidence of participation in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) during service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial disability rating for allergic rhinitis is denied due to lack of evidence showing greater than 50 percent obstruction or nasal polyps.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is remanded because the VA examiner did not provide an adequate rationale regarding whether her condition began in service or is related to service exposure.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus is remanded as no VA examination was conducted prior to the rating decision.

The Veteran's ED is caused by medications taken to treat his service-connected lumbosacral strain disability. The Board grants service connection for ED on a secondary basis.

The Board denied service connection for heart and right foot disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,Service connection for right ankle disability was denied due to lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease related to the condition.,Service connection for right foot disability was denied because there is no evidence of current disability during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for pes planus and plantar fasciitis was initially received by VA on June 7, 2021. The effective date of the grant of service connection is set at May 11, 2021, as this is when the Intent to File a Claim was received. The Board found no earlier claim for these conditions and denied the request for an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, low back disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to unresolved procedural or factual issues.

The Board has determined that the original grant of service connection for bilateral pes planus was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and therefore, the severance of service connection is improper. The Veteran's preexisting bilateral pes planus is presumed to have been aggravated by service.

The Board has denied a compensable disability evaluation for the Veteran's left foot calcaneal/plantar bone spur formation and has remanded the issue of service connection for his right foot condition, which he contends is secondary to his service-connected left foot condition.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral foot disability was granted effective December 16, 2020. The effective date is based on the date he filed his notice of intent to file a claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left foot pes planus, rhinitis, and sinusitis is granted. The restoration of a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and lumbar foraminal stenosis since October 1, 2021 is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left and right foot disabilities began during his National Guard service, are connected to service on a direct basis, and have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's atypical chest pain and GERD are found to be secondary to his service-connected asthma, thus granting service connection for these conditions.,His low back condition is found to have been aggravated by his service, allowing for service connection on an aggravation basis. However, the bilateral pes planus was not shown to have worsened during service.