How the Board ruled on foot (flat feet and plantar fasciitis) claims, 2021–2025

Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) (direct service connection)

Direct (began in or was caused by service), or theory not stated in the Board order

37.9% granted of 5,367 decided cases (margin of error 36.6–39.2%). 2,033 granted, 3,334 denied, 8,244 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 1,043 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board granted when it found the veteran's own account of foot symptoms that started in service and continued afterward to be competent and credible, sometimes backed by a fellow service member's statement, even when post-service treatment records were missing. (13 of 18 decisions read; e.g. A25016442, 21017518, 22047150)
• A favorable private or treating provider opinion carried the claim when no medical opinion contradicted it, or when it outweighed a negative VA opinion. In one case the private doctor was favored because they had treated the veteran for years and reviewed the complete record. (6 of 18 decisions read; e.g. 21007061, 22041639, 22036657)
• The Board gave little weight to VA opinions that relied on a lack of ongoing treatment records while ignoring the veteran's reports of continuous symptoms, or that wrongly required certainty. (2 of 18 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A25016442, 21046399)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The Board denied when the first recorded foot complaint came many years after service (in some cases 25 to 33 years). It also found that the veteran's own belief about what caused the condition could not stand in for a medical opinion. (7 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 21058084, A23021982, A21002366)
• A negative VA examiner opinion based on an accurate history was treated as the most persuasive evidence. A private opinion with an unsupported conclusion that did not match the treatment records was outweighed. (4 of 14 decisions read; e.g. A21002366, 21053369, A24014211)
• The Board found no current foot disability, or no foot pain causing functional impairment, during the appeal period. (4 of 14 decisions read; e.g. A24058009, A24020648, A24014211)

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to any service-connected condition

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

37.7% granted of 379 decided cases (margin of error 33.0–42.7%). 143 granted, 236 denied, 962 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 30 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board found plantar fasciitis or flat feet linked to another service-connected condition, such as pes planus, an ankle, knee, or back disability, by the most probative evidence. (5 of 6 decisions read; e.g. A24057315, 22041347, A24015643)
• When causation was not shown, the Board still weighed whether the service-connected condition worsened the foot condition, and resolved balanced evidence in the veteran's favor. (3 of 6 decisions read; e.g. A24015450, A24015643, 22045303)

Common reasons in denied cases

• VA opinions with an adequate rationale, which considered the veteran's statements, found no link and went unrebutted by any competent contrary opinion. (4 of 8 decisions read; e.g. A21005111, A21007799, 24003453)
• The veteran's own belief that one condition caused the foot problem was not competent evidence; one private opinion lost weight for inconsistencies, no support, and no baseline. (3 of 8 decisions read; e.g. A21007799, 24001285, 24003453)
• The Board found another cause more likely, such as obesity or years of post-service weight bearing; one claim failed because the primary condition, diabetes, was not service-connected. (3 of 8 decisions read; e.g. 21017085, 24003453, 24001285)

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to the other foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis)

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

49.2% granted of 63 decided cases (margin of error 37.3–61.2%). 31 granted, 32 denied, 126 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 3 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• Private opinions won weight when the doctor reviewed the medical and military records, considered the veteran's statements, cited medical research, and gave a thorough rationale that nothing contradicted. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A24047383, 23016612, A23022175)
• VA opinions lost weight when they gave no clinical basis, reused the same boilerplate language, questioned an already granted condition, or came from a less specialized examiner than the podiatrist on the other side. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. A21008510, 24006383, 24021490)
• The Board also credited explanations that flat feet change foot mechanics and raise the risk of plantar fasciitis, along with credible lay accounts of ill-fitting boots and ongoing foot pain. (7 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 24006383, 24021490, 23018952)

Common reasons in denied cases

• Most denials rested on a reasoned VA opinion, based on the claims file, that found no link, with no competent medical opinion of record to contradict it. (8 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21070774, 21013830, 22011352)
• Private opinions were given little or no weight when they offered no rationale or rested on facts the record did not support. (3 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 23001483, 21073574, 21014771)
• The veteran's own belief about the cause or worsening of a foot condition was not competent medical evidence. (3 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21009877, 21013830, 22000136)

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to knee

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

35.6% granted of 59 decided cases (margin of error 24.6–48.3%). 21 granted, 38 denied, 125 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 2 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board granted when a medical opinion explained how the knee problem, often through an altered gait or changed weight bearing, strained the feet, sometimes citing medical literature. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 24000467, 21003182, 21039816)
• Negative VA opinions lost weight when they were conclusory, ignored the veteran's account of favoring the knee or the altered gait, or did not address aggravation. (5 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 23011861, 21070654, 23004047)
• Several grants rested on aggravation: the knee condition worsened the foot condition even where the examiner found it did not cause it. (3 of 13 decisions read; e.g. 21039816, 21003182, A24015450)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The Board denied when a reasoned VA opinion against the link went unrebutted, with no contrary medical opinion in the file. (6 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 21024256, 21068767, 22021063)
• The only support was the veteran's own belief that the knee caused the foot problem, which the Board does not treat as competent medical evidence. (5 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 22021063, 21068767, A24025555)
• Other denials found another cause more likely, such as non-service-connected flat feet, post-service wear, or a congenital defect, or found no current foot diagnosis. (5 of 14 decisions read; e.g. A24025555, 24003453, 21003283)

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to low back (lumbar spine)

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

32.1% granted of 56 decided cases (margin of error 21.4–45.2%). 18 granted, 38 denied, 168 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 5 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board credited favorable opinions from treating or private clinicians linking the foot condition to the back, including one citing medical literature. (4 of 6 decisions read; e.g. 22047852, A24058926, 21045145)
• VA opinions lost weight when they never addressed whether the back caused or worsened the foot condition, or were not well reasoned. (3 of 6 decisions read; e.g. 21045145, A24058926, 24027808)
• Several grants involved nerve problems in the feet, such as foot drop or numbness, tied to back radiculopathy rather than flat feet. (2 of 6 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 24027808, 21006330)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The veteran's own belief that the back caused the foot problem was not competent medical evidence. (3 of 6 decisions read; e.g. 21019560, 21013830, 24003453)
• A reasoned VA opinion found no link, or attributed the foot condition to years of post-service weight bearing, and no contrary medical opinion was of record. (2 of 6 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 21013830, 24003453)
• Service records and the veteran's earlier statements weighed against his account, such as denying foot trouble at separation or giving inconsistent histories. (2 of 6 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 21014701, 21036439)

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to ankle

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

Small sample: 28 decided cases, too few for a reliable percentage. 11 granted, 17 denied, 96 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 5 dismissed.

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to diabetes

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

Small sample: 25 decided cases, too few for a reliable percentage. 7 granted, 18 denied, 28 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 5 dismissed.

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Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis) secondary to radiculopathy / peripheral neuropathy

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

Small sample: 10 decided cases, too few for a reliable percentage. 5 granted, 5 denied, 4 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 1 dismissed.

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