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

The Board granted service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis, finding that the condition began during active duty for training in September 2020.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, back disability as secondary to pes planus, right knee disability as secondary to pes planus, and left knee disability as secondary to pes planus. The Board remanded the claims of direct service connection for a back disability and knees.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for residuals of right ankle sprain, allergies, bilateral flat feet, and a psychiatric disorder to provide notice regarding the Veteran's right to a hearing.

The Board restored the 50 percent rating for bilateral foot disorders and denied restoration of the 50 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted the reinstatement of a 60 percent rating for urinary incontinence effective March 23, 2024, and denied increased ratings for lumbosacral strain and service connection for plantar fasciitis.

The Board granted service connection for fatigue, chronic headaches, great toenail and toe injury, left foot, and bilateral flat feet with plantar fasciitis after finding new evidence that raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims. Service connection was also granted for lupus, fibromyalgia, vertigo, photophobia, dyspnea, fatigue, Sjogren's syndrome, headache disability (secondary to lupus and fibromyalgia), and an initial effective date of July 29, 2014, for right knee tendonitis with stress fracture of the tibia.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for GERD was granted, but no earlier effective dates were granted for the other service connection claims.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues related to the right ankle, lumbar spine, cervical spine, and pes planus were remanded.

The appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions and a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed.

The Board remands the appeal for a VA examination to address the Veteran's service-connected pes planus with plantar fasciitis, specifically to ensure that the examiner considers and discounts the beneficial effects of medication when evaluating musculoskeletal disabilities.

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for somatic symptom disorder, denied ratings in excess of 20 percent for left and right knee patellofemoral syndrome, granted separate 10 percent ratings for instability in both knees, denied a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis with residuals of septoplasty, denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss but granted service connection for bilateral restless leg syndrome, left Achilles tendonitis with plantar fasciitis, and eczema.

The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection and increased ratings, granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for left knee osteoarthritis with limitation of extension, and remanded claims for service connection for varicose veins and an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, left and right elbow conditions, left and right hip conditions, vision condition, and bilateral hearing loss. The claims for hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than major depressive disorder (MDD), a neck condition, a left shoulder condition, a left ankle condition, a right ankle condition, and a bilateral foot condition were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis but denied it for hypertension and a left knee disability.

The Veteran was granted a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to September 13, 2019.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee and leg disabilities, as well as bilateral foot disabilities, to ensure that VA completes development ordered by the RO in March 2020 regarding these conditions.

The Board granted service connection for right foot pes planus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right foot calcaneal spur and granted increased ratings for PTSD, right foot calcaneal spur, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (including intervertebral disc syndrome, stenosis), left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve.

The Board remands the matter for further development, including obtaining new VA etiology opinions to determine the etiology of the Veteran's joint pain associated with his right knee, bilateral elbows, bilateral shoulders, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and left wrist.

The Board denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, neurogenic erectile dysfunction, pain and dysfunction of the right knee, and left foot plantar fasciitis as they were not shown to be related to the Veteran's active military service.