The Veteran's bilateral foot pes planus with plantar fasciitis and heel spurs is granted an initial disability rating of 30 percent. The Veteran's residuals of left foot 3rd and 4th metatarsals status post fracture are denied a compensable rating prior to September 16, 2021, but granted in excess of 20 percent thereafter.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran has bilateral foot pes planus with plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, which is rated under Diagnostic Code (DC) 5276. The September 2016 VA examination found objective evidence of marked deformity bilaterally, indicating swelling on use, characteristic callouses, extreme tenderness of the plantar surfaces that were improved by orthotics, decreased longitudinal arch height, and inward bowing of the Achilles' tendon. These findings are consistent with a 30 percent rating under DC 5276.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral foot pes planus, Plantar fasciitis, Heel spurs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 2, 2024
- Citation
- A24062880
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 575 · Granted: 29% (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 A24062880.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance, thus his claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance is denied.
- Partly granted
The Board has granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and dismissed the proposed severance of service connection for plantar fasciitis. The Veteran's current allergic rhinitis is considered to have started during his period of active duty for training.
- Denied
The Board found no evidence of a current bilateral foot pain disorder related to service and denied the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's GERD is granted service connection. The claims for pes planus, plantar fasciitis, and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The PTSD rating is also remanded.
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