VA Disability for Flat Feet: The Essentials Facts About a VA Rating

If you are a veteran dealing with problems due to flat feet from your military service, you may be eligible for VA disability benefits. To qualify for benefits, you must show that your condition is disabling and connected to your military service.

There are three main ways to get a flat feet VA rating:1

• Direct Service Connection for flat feet rated either unilateral or bilateral, with VA ratings of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50%.
• Secondary Service Connection for flat feet rated either unilateral or bilateral, with VA ratings of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% (e.g., you could be rated for flat feet secondary to ankle pain or plantar fasciitis).
• Aggravation of a pre-service disability for flat feet rated either unilateral or bilateral, with VA ratings of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% (e.g., you could be rated for flat feet because you experienced aggravation resulting from flat feet due to having it pre-service. In other words, you had the condition before entering the military, and your military service aggravated your flat feet beyond natural progression.

VA’s Evaluation and Criteria Rating Code for Various Ratings

The VA rates flat feet using Title 38 CFR, Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities, Diagnostic Code (DC) 5276, Flatfoot, Acquired.1

Flat Feet VA disability ratings depend on whether your condition is unilateral (one-sided) or bilateral (both left and right sides). It also considers the severity (including frequency and duration) of your symptoms.

Flat feet VA disability ratings range from 0% to 50%, with more defined details at 10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively.

0 Percent VA Rating for Flat Feet (Bilateral or Unilateral)

The 0 percent VA disability rating for flat feet is applicable for mild symptoms that are relieved by arch support or built-up shoe.

10 Percent Pes Planus VA Rating (Bilateral or Unilateral)

The 10 percent VA rating for pes planus (flat feet) is applicable for moderate symptoms. These include:

• Weight-bearing line over or medial (middle) to the great toe
• Inward bowing of the Achilles tendon (the tendon connecting your calf muscles to your heel)
• Pain on manipulation and use of the feet, bilateral or unilateral

20 Percent VA Rating for Pes Planus (Unilateral)

The 20 percent rating for flat feet is applicable for unilateral pes planus with:

• Objective evidence of marked deformity (e.g., pronation which is ankle and arch rolling or tipping inwards, abduction. which is when the ankle and foot are moving away from the body, etc.)
• Pain on manipulation and use accentuated (increased)
• Indication of swelling on use
• Characteristic callosities (yellow calluses)

30 Percent VA Rating for Pes Planus (Unilateral)

The 30 percent VA rating is applicable for severe unilateral flat feet pronounced with:

• Marked pronation
• Extreme tenderness of plantar surfaces (the inferior aspect or bottom of the foot, the part of the foot that is mostly in contact with the ground and that has the most contact with the ground when standing, so it typically has thicker skin than the rest of the foot)
• Marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the Achilles tendon on manipulation
• Not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances

30 Percent VA Disability Rating for Flat Feet (Bilateral)

The 30 percent rating for pes planus is applicable for bilateral flat feet with:

• Objective evidence of marked deformity (pronation, abduction, etc.)
• Pain on manipulation and use accentuated, indication of swelling on use
• Characteristic callosities (yellow calluses)

50 Percent Flat Feet VA Rating (Bilateral)

The 50 percent VA rating is applicable for severe bilateral flat feet pronounced with:

• Marked pronation
• Extreme tenderness of plantar surfaces of the feet
• Marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the Achilles tendon on manipulation
• Not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances

What Would Your Podiatrist Look for?

When visiting your podiatrist, you would receive a physical examination of your foot, ankle, and lower extremity. The podiatrist would also ascertain if your circumstance would benefit from imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, x-rays, etc.

Flat feet symptomology typically includes pronation of the foot and impacts dorsiflexion (bringing the foot up towards your body when taking a step) and plantarflexion of the foot (pushing off your foot when taking a step). So, the podiatrist would most likely also do a gait assessment (watching your stride and your walk). During the gait assessment, the podiatrist would pay close attention to how your foot is landing, what your gait looks like during the toe-off or push-off phase, if there’s a sway while you walk, among other things. The podiatrist would also ask about your pain level when walking, while standing, and at rest. All of these diagnostic techniques would provide the podiatrist with details on the severity of your condition and potential treatment options.

This information is also important to know when you are attending a VA C&P exam. Remember, once you are service-connected for flat feet or pes planus, you still must be rated. You will want to make sure you obtain the highest rating possible based on your symptoms. This is why you need to know what the VA examiner will be looking for in the exam. He or she will be looking for the symptoms listed in the rating criteria above. It is important that the doctor have an accurate picture of your true condition. This means that your true pain and impairment should not be masked with painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs. If you use analgesic painkillers regularly, it would not be advisable to use those on the day of the exam. It could raise the risk that the true magnitude of your condition is not ascertained correctly.

Finally, painful flat feet can also cause an altered gait—meaning it changes the way you walk. Over time, this altered gait, sometimes called an antalgic gait, can throw off your body mechanics, causing unnatural stress on other joints, such as your knees or low back. Thus, if you obtain a service connection for the flat feet, and this condition later causes your low back to have problems, you will want to bring a claim for the low back condition based on a secondary service connection. We have helped many veterans obtain service connection for low back conditions secondary to flat feet.

References:

1. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs. (2002). Criteria for Disability: Flat Feet (Pes Planus). Retrieved from: https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files4/1035190.txt