Flat feet and plantar fasciitis VA claims: what the Board relied on in grants and denials

Flat feet, plantar fasciitis and other foot claims

Of 10,358 veterans whose foot claim the Board decided from 2020 to 2025, it granted 21.7%, denied 24.0% and remanded 54.3%. Flat feet (pes planus) were the most common claim:

Kind of claim	Granted	Veterans	Share
Flat feet (pes planus)	1,301	6,470	20.1%
Plantar fasciitis	644	2,822	22.8%
Other foot conditions	463	1,894	24.4%

The three kinds came out close to each other.

Can flat feet noted when I entered service be service connected?

Yes, if service made them worse. A veteran is presumed sound at entry except for conditions noted on the entrance exam (38 CFR 3.304(b)). A condition that was noted is service connected when it increased in severity during service, unless the increase was its natural progress (38 CFR 3.306). The caption or the Board's summary says the condition was noted at entry or existed before service for 2,146 veterans (20.7% of foot claims), and the Board granted 23.6% of those.

Entrance exams often record mild flat feet. That record changes the question: the Board no longer asks whether the condition began in service, but whether service made it worse. The words "aggravated" or "aggravation" appear in the Board's summary for 1,812 of these veterans. In the grant below, a VA examiner found the noted flat feet were aggravated in service; in the denial, the records showed no complaints in service and the veteran denied foot trouble at separation.

What the Board relied on

The comparison below sets the 2,249 grants against the 2,484 denials.

In grants (2,249 veterans) In denials (2,484 veterans)

The event in service

• Combat service

  7%

  3%

• Service records discussed

  91%

  96%

Medical evidence

• Positive nexus opinion

  49%

  10%

• Favorable VA exam

  28%

  8%

• Private medical opinion

  47%

  27%

• Treating doctor's opinion

  10%

  4%

• Unfavorable VA exam

  80%

  85%

• Negative nexus opinion

  68%

  73%

Statements and credibility

• Veteran's own statement

  88%

  93%

• Buddy statement

  7%

  3%

• Board found the veteran credible

  51%

  11%

• Board doubted the veteran's credibility

  7%

  21%

How the Board weighed it

• Benefit of the doubt applied

  77%

  10%

Share of granted (green) and denied (gray) veterans whose decision contained each item, as extracted by AI from the decision text. Remanded claims are left out of this comparison. This shows what the decisions contained, not what caused the result.

What separated foot grants from denials?

A positive nexus opinion was in 49.4% of grants and 9.8% of denials, and the Board found the veteran credible in 50.7% of grants and 11.1% of denials. With both, it granted 70.1%; with neither, 7.4%.

Positive nexus opinion

No positive opinion

Veteran found credible

70%

granted · 523 of 746

46%

granted · 618 of 1,348

Not found credible

47%

granted · 587 of 1,257

7%

granted · 521 of 7,007

One count per veteran; a remand counts as not granted.

With both, the Board granted 523 of 746 claims. A credibility finding without a positive opinion was granted 45.8%, and a positive opinion without a credibility finding 46.7%. Most claims had neither: 7,007 veterans, of whom 521 were granted.

A negative VA exam did not end the claim: one was in 79.7% of grants. A private medical opinion was in 46.7% of grants and 27.1% of denials.

Why are foot claims denied?

For 2,325 denials, the Board's note named the in-service injury or worsening in 65.9% of them and a missing medical link in 49.2%. A missing current diagnosis came up less often (12.1%).

How foot conditions are rated

How are flat feet and plantar fasciitis rated?

Flat feet are rated under DC 5276 in 38 CFR 4.71a by severity, from mild, when an arch support or built-up shoe relieves the symptoms (no compensation), to pronounced, with a higher rating when both feet are affected. Plantar fasciitis is rated under DC 5269: higher when neither non-surgical nor surgical treatment brings relief, and highest with actual loss of use of the foot.

Foot claims made secondary to a knee, back or ankle

Can a foot condition be secondary to a knee or back condition?

Yes, under 38 CFR 3.310, usually through a change in gait. The Board granted foot claims made secondary to a knee condition for 47 of 296 veterans (15.9%), to a back condition for 28 of 166 (16.9%) and to an ankle condition for 45 of 153 (29.4%). Direct claims: 21.5%.

Route	Granted	Veterans	Share
Direct (from service)	1,936	8,996	21.5%
Secondary to an ankle condition	45	153	29.4%
Secondary to a knee condition	47	296	15.9%
Secondary to a back condition	28	166	16.9%
Secondary to something else	242	924	26.2%

Almost all foot claims are direct. The ankle route did best, on small numbers; the knee and back routes did worse than direct claims.

Read the decisions

Recent decisions, with the Board's reasoning as summarized by AI:

• A25110864, December 2025: flat feet in both feet granted as aggravation of a condition noted at entry; service treatment records showed foot complaints in service, and a VA examiner found the condition was aggravated.
• A25110688, December 2025: plantar fasciitis and heel spurs in both feet granted on in-service foot complaints, a treating physician's opinion and a statement from the veteran's spouse, with the benefit of the doubt.
• A25109042, December 2025: plantar fasciitis in both feet granted secondary to service-connected knee conditions.
• A25110869, December 2025: flat feet noted at entry denied; the service records showed no worsening in service, and a VA examiner found no aggravation beyond the natural progress.
• A25111288, December 2025: plantar fasciitis of the right foot denied; a VA exam found the foot normal, with no current disability.

What the data cannot tell you

These are what the decisions contained, not what caused the result. Some items, such as a credibility finding or the benefit of the doubt, are part of how the Board explains a grant. The evidence items were extracted by AI and apply to the whole decision. "Noted at entry" is a word match on the issue caption and the Board's AI summary, so it undercounts. Ankle claims are left out, and so are increased-rating claims. Historical outcomes, not predictions.

For representatives

• Read the entrance exam first. If the feet were noted, build the claim on aggravation: records of foot complaints in service and an opinion on whether service worsened the condition beyond its natural progress.
• If nothing was noted, the veteran is presumed sound at entry; VA then needs clear and unmistakable evidence to say the condition existed before service and was not aggravated.
• Get a medical opinion that links the condition to service, and statements about foot pain since service.
• For a secondary claim, have the opinion describe the gait change and address aggravation as well as causation (38 CFR 3.310(b)).