The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of April 1, 2015, for a 50 percent rating for bilateral foot disability is denied as it is not factually ascertainable that the condition warranted such a rating within one year prior to April 1, 2015.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish findings consistent with a 50 percent rating during the year prior to April 1, 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19108128
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19108128.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis and pes planus was granted, but the Board found that his disability more closely approximated a 30 percent rating. The issue of service connection for neck disability secondary to spine disability is remanded.
- Dismissed
The appellant withdrew his appeals for various disability ratings and effective dates, resulting in the dismissal of all claims.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and other benefits, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional compensation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating higher than 50 percent for his bilateral foot disability, as the maximum schedular rating of 50 percent has already been assigned and there is no legal basis to award a higher evaluation.
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