This storage is often necessary for basic functionality of the web site or the storage may be used for the purposes of marketing, analytics, and personalization of the web site such as storing your preferences. 4.71a, DC 5276. Brian isalso the CEOofMilitary Disability Made Easy, which is the worlds largest free searchable database for all things related to DoD disability and VA disability claims and has served more than 4,600,000 military members and veterans since its founding in 2013. we represent clients nationwide. Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot condition caused by inflammation deep within the fascia of the sole of the foot. Where pes planus is bilateral and pronounced, with marked pronation, extreme tenderness of plantar surfaces of the feet, marked inward displacement, and severe spasm of the tendo achillis on manipulation, not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances, a 50 percent rating is to be assigned. If you think you have a foot disorder such as pes planus (flat feet), but dont have a medical diagnosis,pick-up the phone and call the VA facility nearest youto make an appointment right away. Plantar fasciitis can make walking and other physical activities significantly more difficult. Service Connection for Bilateral Pes Planus with Plantar Fasciitis, Filing a Claim for Secondary Service Connection for Bilateral Pes Planus with Plantar Fasciitis. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. The VA will outline the steps involved with appealing a C & P exam in its initial communication. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Flat feet can also cause problems in your ankles, knees, hips, and back because the condition can change the alignment of your legsthese are all common secondary conditions for secondary service connection. In addition to this form, veterans will need to submit: In order to establish bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, veterans will also need to submit: In order to establish plantar fasciitis as secondary to bilateral pes planus, veterans may need to file a claim for secondary service connection. A nexus linking the veterans pes planus to the veterans in-service event or stressor. Filing a claim for secondary service connection involves the same process as filing any claim for service connection. Another condition that may exacerbate plantar fasciitis is pes planus. Sometimes pes planus is the direct result of service, whereas in other instances, it may have been aggravated by service. On this form, veterans will want to ensure that they are filing for plantar fasciitis as secondary to pes planus. Philadelphia, PA: 1 International Plaza, Suite 550, Philadelphia, PA, 19113 Veterans should be prepared to discuss specific ways that heel pain impacts their life, such as the inability to walk long distances. How to claim secondary service connection for a VA disability, you should call us for a free review of your case, Without Woods and Woods I would still be stuck at 30%, Your weight-bearing line is over your big toe, You experience pain upon manipulation orwhen using the foot, You have inbound bowing of the Achilles tendon, Pain when the foot is used or manipulated, Swelling occurring after use of the foot or feet, Presence of characteristic callosities (calluses), Increased pain when you move or use the foot/feet, Presence of callosities (calluses) particular to plantar fasciitis, There is marked inward displacement and pronation(inward rolling of the foot), Orthopedic shoes and inserts do not provide relief or reduce the symptoms, Your Achilles tendon spasms when it is touched, A current diagnosis of your foot condition, Record of an in-service event or aggravation, A medical nexus, or link, between the in-service event and the current disability. For example, it may be that your condition is asecondary service-connected disability. Cincinnati, OH: 300 E Business Way, Suite 200, Summit Woods Corporate Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45241 Does the Veteran have pain on use of the feet? Copyright 2023 Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD. All Rights Reserved. By law, there are three evidentiary elements that must be satisfied for plantar fasciitis Secondary Conditions: The first part can be satisfied with any existing medical evidence in service treatment records, VA medical records, or any private medical records. Plain or weight-bearing foot x-rays are not required to make the diagnosis of flatfoot. 3. To calculate what effect yourVA disability rating for foot pain will have on your compensation package, you can use ourVA disability calculator. Cookies help us deliver the best experience on our website. WITHOUT Woods & Woods I would still be stuck at 30%. TDIU stands for total disability individual unemployability. Flat feet VA disability ratings range from 0% to 50% with interim breaks at 10%, 20%, and 30% depending upon unilateral or bilateral, and the severity of your symptoms in terms of frequency, severity, and duration. This can strain the tissues on the bottom of the feet and worsen plantar fasciitis. Tucson, AZ: One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor, Tucson, AZ, 85701 Feel free to call us at (866) 232-5777 anytime. The same if you have bilateral plantar fasciitis. The effects of flat feet can vary greatly from case to case. In this post, we will be exploring how to increase your VA Rating for Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis sufferers commonly report that pain in the bottom of their heel is most severe in the morning and then subsides as the day progresses. These cookies collect information about how you use our website. Even got stress fractures on my tib/fib probably . We have updated our Privacy Policy. In those instances, the ratings for each side, the left and the right sides, are combined separately. Get a Free Consultation, VA Disability Ratings for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms and Risk Factors Among Veterans, Secondary ServiceConnection for Plantar Fasciitis, Compensation and Pension Exams (C& P Exams) for Plantar Fasciitis, VADisability Ratings for Plantar Fasciitis, Contact Hill & Ponton for Additional Help with VA Disability Claims, Certain types of exercise, such as running and aerobic dancing because they put pressure on heels and the tissue attached to them, Standing or walking on hard surfaces for a majority of the day. A C&P exam for plantar fasciitis usually involves a physical examination and history of your foot condition and severity of symptoms over time. Your final VA rating for pes planus depends upon whether the condition is unilateral or bilateral as well as the severity of your symptoms in terms of frequency, severity, and duration. For example, if you have both severe bilateral flat feet and severe bilateral plantar fasciitis, the VA Rater should grant the 50% rating for pes planus because its the higher of the two ratings (the maximum scheduler rating for severe bilateral plantar fasciitis is 30%). To file a claim for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, veterans will need to fill out and submit VA Form 21-526, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits. If you are experiencing plantar fasciitis that can be relieved by shoe inserts and arch supports then the VA will likely give you a non-compensable rating of 0%. A doctor must also submit in writing that any secondary conditions, including plantar fasciitis, worsened strictly due to military service and not natural disease progression. The 0 percent VA disability rating for flat feet is appropriate for mild symptoms relieved by built-up shoe or arch support . Hear from fellow Veterans just like you, with many of our Business Development Representatives having gone through our programs. The highest possible schedular VA disability rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis is now 30% (not 50%), which includes symptoms such as no relief from both non-surgical (orthopedic shoes or appliances) and surgical treatment. These cookies are essential so that you can move around the website and use its features. However, if a veteran has both conditions diagnosed, with similar symptoms for each disability, according to the higher of two evaluations principle, the higher rating will be assigned if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating. How to Get a 100 Percent VA Rating (if deserved)! VA rates veterans with flatfoot under38 C.F.R 4.71a, diagnostic code 5276. The highest scheduler rating for severe bilateral flat feet is 50%, whereas the highest scheduler rating for severe bilateral plantar fasciitis is 30%. 5. This information is not a substitute for legal advice. CCK Recognized for Donations to American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial, CCK Successfully Argues for a Precedential Decision About Protected Work Environment, A Day in the Life of a Paralegal (Claims Advocate) at CCK. They are not intended as a guarantee that we will obtain the same or similar results in every case we undertake. This website adheres to the W3Cs AA Accessibility guidelines. Portland, OR: 650 N. E. Holladay Street, Suite 1600, Portland, OR, 97232 4.26 Bilateral factor. Its FREE to get started, so click Go Elite Now below to complete our 3-step intake process. A 10 percent rating applies for cases of plantar fasciitis classified as otherwise. If yes, provide type of test or procedure, date, and results. Because the symptoms associated with flat feet and plantar fasciitis are so similar, its highly unlikely to get separate VA ratings for flat feet and plantar fasciitis due to theavoidance of pyramiding. Finally, we invite you to contact us and we welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. These cookies do not store any personal information. This percent rating can apply to one or both feet. you viewed to avoid repetition. Has Diagnostic Testing been performed? Heres a quick litmus test: If it feels like a knife is being jammed into the bottom of your heel, especially during the first few steps out of bed in the morning or shortly after a workout, chances are you might have plantar fasciitis. Its FREE to get started, so click Go Elite Now below to complete our 3-step intake process. 23. As with a primary disability rating for plantar fasciitis, veterans need to present the following when applying for VA disability for a secondary service connection: Veterans who entered military service with pre-existing heel pain or foot injuries may be able to claim service connection by aggravation if their plantar fasciitis worsened. This data may be used to help optimize our websites and make them easier for you to navigate. Common causes and risk factors for developing flat feet include: Other risk factors, such asobesityand partaking in frequent high-impact physical activity, like military training, may also lead to the development of flat feet. Pes planus is a condition that often affects both feet. The highest possible schedular VA disability rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis is now 30% (not 50%), which includes symptoms such as no relief from both non-surgical (orthopedic shoes or appliances) and surgical treatment. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided. When you visit web sites, they may store or retrieve data in your web browser. A showing of causation requires that the secondary disability be shown to be proximately due to or proximately aggravated by another service-connected disability. Research has shownthat veterans are at a much higher risk of developing these conditions. If pronounced pes planus is present in both feet (and supports do not help), veterans can receive the VA disability rating of 50%. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Join our premier education-based membership program, VA Claims Insider Elite, connect with an expert-level Veteran Coach (VC) within minutes, and finally get the rating you deserve. Effective February 7, 2021, plantar fasciitis has its own diagnostic code (DC) 5269 with ratings that What are Flat Feet (Pes Planus) in Veterans? Furthermore, as to case summaries, reports of past results, individual lawyer biographies, news posts and other information pertaining to past and present cases, these descriptions are meant only to provide information to the public about the activities and experience of our law firm. If yes, (there is a functional loss due to pain, during flare-ups and/or after repeated use over time), please describe the functional loss as well as cite and discuss evidence (must be specific to the case and based on all procurable evidence). If yes, indicate the side(s) affected and describe the lower extremity deformity other than pes planus causing alteration of the weight-bearing line. If your case of plantar fasciitis is deemed severe, you may be eligible to receive a VA disability rating of 20-30%. The painful motion principle means that regardless of range of motion, if pain is present, the veteran should at least be awarded the minimum level of compensable disability for that condition. To be successfulclaiming aVA disability for flat feet and/or plantar fasciitis you will need to prove that your condition is a result of activities you underwent while in service. To file a claim for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, veterans will need to fill out and submit VA Form 21-526, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits. A 20 percent rating applies when the veteran meets the above requirements, but the plantar fasciitis only impacts one foot. If you're service-connected for bilateral pes planus, that's likely the higher rating due to the addition of the bilateral factor (when you have a condition on both sides of . Copyright 2023 Hill & Ponton, P.A.. All Rights Reserved. The VA rates Pes Planus (Flat Feet) using Title 38 CFR, Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities, Diagnostic Code (DC) 5276, Flatfoot versus Plantar Fasciitis, which is rated under DC 5269. They may also be used to keep track of what [products, video, links, etc.] Woods and Woods, LLC, Veterans Disability Lawyer, Veterans Disability Benefits Attorneys Helping Veterans Nationwide, Published on April 14, 2020 by Neil Woods Last Updated on August 31, 2022. Having pes planus, or flat feet, can be an aggravating factor for plantar fasciitis.
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