BVA decisions by condition
Plantar fasciitis: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a plantar fasciitis issue in 6,315 decisions. It granted the plantar fasciitis issue in 23.4% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 26.6%, and remanded it in 49.9%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 46.8% were granted.
Decisions
6,315
2017–2026
Granted
23.4%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
46.8%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
49.9%
Denied: 26.6%
Plantar fasciitis outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 315 | 18.1% | 28.9% | 49.8% | 3.2% |
| 2018 | 495 | 16.4% | 25.5% | 53.3% | 4.8% |
| 2019 | 543 | 18.6% | 21.0% | 58.2% | 2.2% |
| 2020 | 654 | 19.6% | 26.9% | 52.3% | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 684 | 22.4% | 26.3% | 49.6% | 1.8% |
| 2022 | 710 | 25.1% | 21.0% | 52.8% | 1.1% |
| 2023 | 933 | 24.8% | 23.6% | 50.2% | 1.5% |
| 2024 | 1,199 | 24.1% | 23.9% | 50.8% | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 1,277 | 24.7% | 32.0% | 42.4% | 0.9% |
| 2026 | 448 | 31.5% | 28.1% | 40.0% | 0.4% |
Each row counts issues (each condition the Board decided), so the shares add up to 100%. Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome. Years with fewer than 50 issues are left out.
Evidence in granted and denied plantar fasciitis decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the plantar fasciitis issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 1,181 | 76.6% | 35.6% | +41.0 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 862 | 69.1% | 41.0% | +28.0 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 301 | 69.6% | 45.4% | +24.3 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 891 | 67.1% | 44.1% | +23.0 pts |
| Buddy statement | 212 | 67.2% | 46.0% | +21.2 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 1,978 | 58.2% | 40.1% | +18.1 pts |
| Combat service | 325 | 60.9% | 46.0% | +14.9 pts |
| Lay statement | 5,238 | 46.2% | 51.5% | −5.4 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 69.0% of the decisions that granted plantar fasciitis.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 40.5% of grants and 14.2% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often plantar fasciitis was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 3,287 | 46.8% | 46.9% | −0.1 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 4,779 | 45.2% | 54.7% | −9.5 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied plantar fasciitis
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established250
- Caused by the service-connected disability59
- Criteria for service connection met26
- Service connection established26
- Continuity of symptomatology since service16
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability14
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met14
- Service connection granted10
Most common reasons in denials
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service157
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim135
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis130
- Service records negative or silent126
- No current diagnosis121
- Current diagnosis established102
- Already at the maximum schedular rating58
- Criteria for service connection not met28
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent plantar fasciitis decisions
Granted
Inadequate VA opinions (factually incorrect and contradictory).; Presumption of sound condition upon entry.; Diagnosis shortly after service separation.; Benefit of the doubt doctrine applied due to approximate balance of evidence.
Direct service connection established; Caused by active duty; Benefit of doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
At least as likely as not related to service; Plantar fasciitis is a recognized medical condition
Denied
No evidence of in-service manifestation or result; No manifestation within one year of separation
No evidence of in-service injury to right foot; No current diagnosis or functional impairment of right foot; VA's duty to obtain examination not triggered
No current diagnosis of bilateral plantar fasciitis established.; No evidence of in-service event, injury, or disease related to plantar fasciitis.; No evidence of connection between claimed symptoms and service.
Rules that apply to plantar fasciitis claims
- 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your plantar fasciitis case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a plantar fasciitis issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.