The Board denied a higher initial rating of the Veteran's right foot disability, finding that her symptoms are adequately addressed by the current 20% rating under Diagnostic Code 5276.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show pronounced flatfoot or other conditions warranting separate ratings, and the Veteran’s symptoms were already considered in the current 20% rating for right foot plantar fasciitis.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Plantar Fasciitis, Pes Planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19191931
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (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 19191931.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus was denied as the evidence did not warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 30 percent, the highest rating available for unilateral pes planus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence, including missing service treatment records and personnel records. The Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ADT) or inactive duty for training (IDT) need to be verified, and additional medical opinions are required based on these records.
- Denied
The Veteran's pes planus, left knee lateral meniscus tear, right knee chondromalacia, and left knee chondromalacia were all denied increased ratings. The Veteran was already in receipt of the maximum schedular rating for his left knee lateral meniscus tear.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.