Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) decisions — 2026

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for rhinitis, sinusitis, bilateral pes planus, right knee condition, and left knee condition are remanded due to errors in obtaining necessary medical opinions.

The Board has denied service connection for low back strain, right and left ear hearing loss, bilateral foot disability, hypertension, respiratory condition, sinusitis, and rhinitis. Service connection was granted for tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis due to insufficient evidence in the VA examiner's opinion and a need for an adequate medical examination.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis has been rated at 50 percent since September 2016, and the Board denied a higher rating as there is no relief from both non-surgical and surgical treatment.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, Neurocognitive Impairment, CFS, Chronic Pain Disorder, Neck and Upper Airway Disorder, Obesity, Nephropathy, Bilateral Pes Planus, Left Knee Disorder, Left Shoulder Disorder, Right Shoulder Disorder, Right Wrist Disorder, Lumbar Spine Disorder, Bilateral Lower Extremity Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), Hearing Loss, ED, and GU Disorder. The decision is based on the absence of a current diagnosis for these conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis, eye/vision disability, head injury, left ankle and right ankle disabilities, left knee and right knee disabilities, mid/lower back disability, and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service.,Service connection for ED as secondary to PTSD was granted.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is warranted due to incomplete medical examination.,The VA examiner concluded that the cervical spine disability was less likely than not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The Board finds this opinion inadequate as it did not address whether the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is a congenital defect and if so, whether there was aggravation during service.,The VA examiner noted that the Veteran's pes planus is a congenital condition and concluded that it is an incidental finding with no symptoms related to his service. The Board finds this opinion inadequate as it did not address whether the pes planus is a congenital defect or disease, nor if there was aggravation during service.,The Veteran seeks service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, obesity, and CKD. No specific issues are listed regarding these conditions in the decision summary.,The Veteran's hypertension is not addressed in the decision summary.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial rating greater than 40 percent for TBI, service connection for a bilateral foot disability, including plantar fasciitis, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety, depression, and polysubstance abuse disorder. The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is also remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that it is related to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD, recurrent major depressive disorder, chronic sleep impairment, pansinusitis, and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary due to multiple pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including inadequate VA examinations and Gulf War examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a neck disorder and bilateral ankle, elbow, hip, shoulder, wrist, upper or lower extremity neuropathy disorders, are denied as there is no competent evidence of current disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for increased evaluations and service connection for various foot, hand, and hip disabilities. The Board has ordered a new examination to address the severity of his right foot disability and to determine if any left foot conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and failure of the Veteran to appear for a VA examination. The examiner is requested to provide an updated opinion on whether any diagnosed right foot or ankle disability had its onset in service.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status has been denied as he is not in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person and is not housebound due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied a rating higher than 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her bilateral foot condition, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5269.

The Veteran's service connection claims for dysmenorrhea, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and irritable bowel syndrome are granted. The claims for chronic fatigue syndrome, dermatosis of the arms, and bilateral restless leg syndrome are denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted for right foot plantar fasciitis, left foot plantar fasciitis, post traumatic residual pain of the right elbow, and respiratory insufficiency disorder. The claim for a rating in excess of 0 percent for allergic rhinitis has been denied. Service connection was not established for chronic sinusitis.

Your service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis with acquired pes cavus covers both your right and left feet, so the claims for separate foot disabilities are dismissed as moot.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral ankle and knee strains, as well as left and right wrist and elbow strains, all secondary to the appellant's service-connected lumbar spine disability. Service connection was also granted for a cervical spine disability (with degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis).