Foot (incl. plantar fasciitis, flat feet) Board decisions

The Board finds that the Veteran has PTSD due to multiple traumas experienced during Vietnam, including fearing for his life and the lives of those around him. The Veteran's symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbing, anger and irritability, sleep disturbance, an exaggerated startle response, and hypervigilance.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings for the right ankle, tinnitus, and left thumb, service connection for flat feet and low back disability, and finding of incompetency.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his inability to attend the scheduled hearing. His claims for service connection for bilateral foot disability, bilateral hearing loss, and head disability are still pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of right knee, left knee, and left shoulder disabilities as well as his claim to reopen a previously denied bilateral pes planus claim. The evidence did not establish current diagnoses or show that any claimed conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise whether the Veteran suffers from PTSD related to his active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's pre-existing bilateral pes planus was not aggravated by service, and there is no current evidence of a service-connected right foot plantar fasciitis.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain a supplemental VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of any current bilateral foot disability, including bilateral plantar fasciitis. The Veteran's lay history and the January 2011 and October 2012 medical opinions will be considered in forming an opinion.

The Veteran's increased ratings for his low back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathies, and plantar callus and bone spur of the left foot are granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed bilateral foot, knee, and sleep apnea disabilities. The AOJ will also request any relevant records from the 2001 conversation between the Veteran's late wife and her private treatment provider.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was rated at 30 percent prior to April 6, 2011.,From April 6, 2011, the Veteran's disability rating for bilateral pes planus remained at 30 percent.

The appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected knee disability, and the Board denied secondary service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment throughout the period under appeal, warranting a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his low back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's positional sleep apnea is likely attributable to his active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder and finds that the Veteran's current back disability is less likely than not related to his military service. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ankle arthritis and plantar fasciitis of the left foot are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's left ankle disability was granted service connection and rated at 30 percent effective June 20, 2014. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no new and material evidence to reopen his left foot disability claim. The right thumb and bilateral plantar fasciitis/right foot conditions were not rated higher than their current levels.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, requesting authorization to release private treatment records, and providing a VA examination to determine the nature of any diagnosed foot disorders.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that it is related to his service-connected plantar fasciitis.