Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2025

The appeal for an earlier effective date prior to April 7, 2020, for the award of service connection for PTSD and right foot plantar fasciitis was dismissed by the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, a painful scar associated with a hernia disability, right foot pain of the 5th toe, an unspecified lesion, to include as secondary to right foot pain of the 5th toe, a left foot disability, tinnitus, and (residual(s) of) an upper respiratory infection.

The Board remands the claims for additional development to ensure compliance with previous remand instructions, specifically addressing the Veteran's lay statements and considering the lack of documented treatment in service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, right foot disability, left foot disability, and skin color changes due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that there was no evidence of a worsening of the condition during his period of ACDUTRA and that the first post-service medical evidence of foot pain was decades after service.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection and TDIU, as well as initial ratings in excess of 50 percent for sleep apnea, a compensable rating for hypertension, and increased ratings for various other disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, a lung condition, and a dental disorder for VA compensation purposes due to the lack of evidence supporting these claims. The claims for other disabilities were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, a neck disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as there was no evidence of current disabilities or symptoms.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, but denied service connection for breast cancer and a left foot disability.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus from December 13, 2012 to July 5, 2021.

The Board denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's left foot plantar fasciitis with metatarsalgia, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a liver condition, lumbar spine condition, and other extremity conditions. The denial was based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability and left foot disability to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a neck disability, back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, right hand disability, and right foot disability, as additional development is required to address causation and aggravation.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a neck disability with permanent nerve damage and difficulty with hands and legs, left ankle, left foot, left leg, right leg, left leg artery, right leg artery, back, and respiratory conditions, to verify potential toxic risk exposure activities (TERA) in addition to conceded herbicide exposure.

The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings to ensure compliance with prior remand directives, including obtaining new examinations and opinions.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected physical disabilities and granted a 40 percent rating for his lumbar spine disability prior to April 2, 2024. The decision also denied increased ratings for PTSD, radiculopathy of both lower extremities, right ankle, left ankle, and bilateral pes planus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disability, to include pes planus, as the evidence did not show that the condition was aggravated by active military service.