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

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral pes planus and a lower back disorder were denied. The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral pes planus did not increase in severity beyond its natural progression during service, and there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of a preexisting lower back disorder. The current diagnoses of degenerative joint disease and spondylosis were not shown to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to issues with his bilateral foot disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, and right elbow disorder. The appeals are now pending for further review.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for pes planus was denied. His claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus were also denied, as well as his claims for increased ratings for multiple service-connected scars.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis is denied.,The Board has remanded three issues related to knee disabilities: left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right knee recurrent subluxation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral pes planus (flat foot disability) and lumbar degenerative joint disease. The flat foot disability is not considered to have been aggravated by military service, nor is it etiologically related to service. Similarly, the lower back disability is not considered to be linked to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of his claim for an increased rating for osteoarthritis first metatarsophalangeal joint with plantar fasciitis of the right foot.

The Veteran's appeal was withdrawn for the issue of arthritis of the hands. The right foot and ankle disability is rated as 20 percent, with a separate 10 percent rating for postoperative right ankle arthritis. The left leg and right leg disabilities are denied. Right hip and left hip disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for degenerative changes of thoracolumbar spine associated with bilateral pes planus has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and initial compensation are remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence, including updated treatment records and examinations.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, and the right shoulder, ankle, and foot disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that the current condition is not related to military service or a service-connected right ankle achilles tendon.

The Board has determined that there was clear and unmistakable error in the October 1990 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus, status post surgeries. As a result, the Veteran is now entitled to service connection for her previously-claimed disability as of the date of her initial August 1989 claim. The Board also granted service connection for right and left foot disabilities other than pes planus with hallux valgus, status post surgeries, based on aggravation by service. Service connection for breast cancer was denied due to lack of exposure during the presumptive period.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is granted a rating of 50 percent. Service connection for major depressive disorder and TDIU are granted effective April 3, 2018. The gout disability appeal is dismissed. Service connection for bronchial asthma and right ankle disability are remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis is rated at 10 percent prior to January 8, 2019 and at 30 percent thereafter. The Board denied the claim for a higher initial rating.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral ankles, feet, and right ear conditions due to new and material evidence. However, it denied his claim for service connection for pes planus as there was no increase in severity during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left foot disability (pes planus), right foot disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for bilateral shin splints, hypertension, and pes planus were denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,A rating in excess of 10% for degenerative joint disease of the sacroiliac joints was denied as there is no evidence of ankylosis or IVDS.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right foot disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to an in-service injury or disease. The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was granted as service-connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back disability, foot disability (bilateral plantar fasciitis), and left hand disability (claimed as loss of motor skills) due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran must be provided with a VA examination to address his service connection claims.