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

The Veteran's GERD is granted an increased rating to 30 percent, but no higher. Service connection for right ankle tendonitis with lateral collateral ligament sprain and bilateral plantar fasciitis are both denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus worsened during service. The claim will be reconsidered with a new examination and opinion.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development, including obtaining STRs, scheduling a VA examination for hypertension, left leg condition, left knee condition, bilateral foot disability, and sleep apnea, and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient VA opinions and missing private treatment records. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional medical opinions addressing the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral foot and ankle disabilities, including all relevant diagnoses.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar degenerative disc disease and bilateral pes planus, have not rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education, training, and experience.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI insurance was denied because it was not received within two years of the most recent grant of service connection for a disability rated at 10 percent or more. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the basic eligibility requirements for Legacy S-DVI under 38 U.S.C. § 1922(a).

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral pes cavus with plantar fasciitis.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hallux valgus, left foot sesamoiditis, and bilateral metatarsalgia. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible assertions of in-service foot pain and a private medical opinion linking these conditions to her active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle disorders, finding that there was no increase in severity during service or clear and unmistakable evidence of aggravation.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left foot disability has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is remanded and will be referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service-connected status post left foot bunionectomy may be related to her newly diagnosed plantar fibroma, but more evidence is needed to determine if this relationship exists.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot metatarsalgia, osteochondritis dissecans, plantar fasciitis, and ankle condition as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that led to these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that they do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence sufficient to readjudicate the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hip arthritis and lumbar spondylosis has been received. The AOJ should readjudicate these claims in the first instance.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to August 4, 2023, for a 100 percent disability rating for service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied as there was no continual pursuit of the claim after the March 2023 rating decision.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disability, including arthritis, heel spurs, and hallux rigidus, finding that the Veteran did not have a disease or injury related to his feet during service and that there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology following service discharge.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as he was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus has been granted service connection. The left knee and left foot disabilities have been remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis from October 19, 2011, to April 2, 2014 is being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the August 2020 VA opinion.