The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus now diagnosed as bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis, but denied a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to the Veteran's failure to provide necessary information.
The deciding factor: The evidence was in approximate balance regarding whether the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus underwent a permanent increase in severity during service, leading to its current diagnosis of bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and panic disorder without agoraphobia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- April 2, 2025
- Citation
- 25004457
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 25004457.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis, left ankle disability (secondary to service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities), bilateral hip disability (secondary to service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities), heart disability, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and acquired psychiatric disorder have been dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him in need of regular aid and attendance due to his back and associated radiculopathy disabilities, which require assistance with activities such as bathing, dressing, transferring, housekeeping, and meal preparation.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of an evaluation higher than 30 percent for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis, as well as service connection for a lumbosacral strain and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), to correct the AOJ's error in providing notice of the Veteran's right to a pre-decisional hearing.
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