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Plantar fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis) is one of the most common causes of heel pain in Veterans. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of each foot and connects the heel bone to the toes, known as the plantar fascia.
Plantar fasciitis commonly causes stabbing pain that often occurs with your first steps in the morning. As you get up and move, the pain normally decreases, but it might return after long periods of standing or when you stand up after sitting. Veterans will often overlook or try to self-treat this heal and foot pain on their own by utilizing special inserts for their shoes, not walking as often, or taking over-the-counter pain medication. Unfortunately, this delay in treatment often leads to the development of far worse and severe symptoms of plantar fasciitis.
The Effects of Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis pain can become so severe, that it prevents a Veteran from being to even put pressure on their feet when they attempt to stand or walk. This significant limitation can cause serious problems for veteran’s day to day life. It can affect a veterans’ ability to work, it can affect a veterans’ ability to do household chores, and it can affect a veterans’ ability even to do something as simple as getting up and walking to the restroom.
A serious but often less thought of complication of Veterans with plantar fasciitis, is that it can impact other body systems. For example, plantar fasciitis can affect a Veteran’s walking pattern or what is called your gait. This can result in a Veteran favoring one side of his body over another. Over time this can lead to knee difficulties, back difficulties, and other orthopedic and muscular problems. It is very important for Veterans to keep in mind that they may be eligible for veterans’ disability benefits as a result of conditions that are secondary to their plantar fasciitis. Secondary service connection in veterans’ disability claims simply means that a diagnosed medical condition is the result of a service-connected condition. This is why it is so important that if a Veteran believes they have a valid claim for any condition, including plantar fasciitis, that they seek out the help of an accredited attorney to help them fight the Veterans’ Administration and get service-connected and obtain the veterans disability benefits that they’ve earned.
Studies have shown that a wide range of specialties and training that veterans undergo in all branches of service can lead to the development of plantar fasciitis. This includes training and specialties such as airborne, paratroopers, and soldiers who require periods of long running and extensive training. However, numerous scientific and medical studies have shown that plantar fasciitis can develop in veterans with specialties ranging from mechanics, logistics, to even desk jobs. This is often due to the monthly physical training that all soldiers in all branches of service must undergo.
What Veterans’ Disability Benefits are Available for Plantar Fasciitis? Our VA Disability Lawyer Explains
Veterans’ disability ratings for plantar fasciitis are rated according to diagnostic code 5285. Under this Diagnostic Code, Veterans will receive higher ratings if the condition affects both feet and is not responsive to any treatment.
Depending on how severe your symptoms are, and whether or not both feet are affected by plantar fasciitis, the following ratings are available for plantar fasciitis.
- 10% rating if you have plantar fasciitis in one or both feet and it is responsive to treatment
- 20% rating if you have plantar fasciitis affecting one foot and it is not responsive to treatment. “Not responsive to treatment” means that you don’t get relief from surgical or nonsurgical treatment
- 30% rating if you have plantar fasciitis affecting both feet and it is not responsive to treatment
- 40% rating if you have plantar fasciitis that results in the loss of a foot.
It is very important for veterans who are experiencing foot and heel pain to seek out medical attention for this condition. Being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis is the first step in the pursuit of service-connected veterans disability benefits for plantar fasciitis. However, even if you are not currently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis but you believe you have it, filing a claim for veteran’s disability benefits detailing that you may have this condition and you believe that it is from service, should trigger the Veterans Administration to order an examination on your behalf to determine if you have plantar fasciitis.
Unfortunately, the veteran’s administration often denies service-connected disability benefits for plantar fasciitis. The reason is because the Veteran’s Administration will often take the position that plantar fasciitis developed later in the veteran’s life, that is after they separated from service. That is why it is vital that if you are denied your service-connected disability benefits for plantar fasciitis, that you seek out the advice and assistance of an accredited attorney licensed to practice before the Veterans’ Administration.
The VA disability lawyers at Gang and Associates are experts at identifying and developing what are called secondary service-connected veterans disability benefits. That means other medical conditions that you have that could be the result of your plantar fasciitis. This could include knee injuries, back injuries, hip injuries, ankle injuries, and other muscle or skeletal injuries. This is often an overlooked area of practice and veterans often don’t think about this in handling their own appeals. Additionally, it is important to remember how a medical condition like plantar fasciitis can affect a veteran’s ability to sustain and hold down employment.
Our attorneys at Gang and Associates have decades of experience dealing with the Veterans Administration in all aspects of Veterans Disability benefits, including plantar fasciitis. We are experts in federal regulations and case law, and often utilize the assistance of skilled medical experts to provide nexus opinions regarding a Veteran’s plantar fasciitis and its relation to their military service.
Get the Benefits You Need From a VA Disability Lawyer
If you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, or you believe you may have plantar fasciitis and are not receiving veterans’ disability benefits for this condition, or any other condition, contact a VA disability lawyer at Gang and Associates for an evaluation to see if we can be of assistance to you. It is important to remember that our law firm works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t pay us any money up front, and we only get paid in the event you receive back pay for your Veterans disability benefits.