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

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran is seeking service connection for various disabilities, including left leg, right leg, left foot, right foot, left hip, and right hip disabilities, as secondary to his service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board has determined a higher rating of 30 percent is warranted.,For his bilateral pes planus to include bilateral plantar fasciitis, he was previously rated at 30 percent and now remains at that same level.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for foot, leg, pes planus, and tinnitus disabilities as there is no valid rating decision to appeal.

The Veteran's right shoulder condition is granted service connection. The evaluations for IVDS and sciatic radiculopathy are remanded. Service connection for chronic cough, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and left shoulder condition are also remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for right wrist, left wrist, and cervical spine disabilities due to the lack of current disability evidence. The Veteran's claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral foot disability (claimed as flatfeet), sleep apnea, and skin condition are remanded.,The Board has denied service connection for right wrist, left wrist, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disabilities due to the lack of current disability evidence. The Veteran's claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral foot disability (claimed as flatfeet), sleep apnea, and skin condition are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that the Veteran's foot pain began during active service and continues to this day.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the Veteran was not afforded a VA examination in connection with her claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis.

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.