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Denied

The Veteran's bilateral foot disability, including pes planus, plantar fasciitis, and a left calcaneal heel spur, is currently rated at the maximum allowable under the applicable rating criteria. A higher rating cannot be assigned as he is already receiving the highest possible rating for his condition.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral foot disability has been rated at 50% since May 21, 2013, which is the date of receipt of his claim, and this is the maximum allowable under Diagnostic Code 5276 (bilateral pes planus).

Claimed conditions
bilateral pes planus, plantar fasciitis, left calcaneal heel spur
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
50%
Decision date
January 10, 2023
Citation
23001496

Veterans Law Judge

DUSTIN L. WARE

Decisions by this judge: 899 · Granted: 45% (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 23001496.

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

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