Why Your Pes Planus (Flat Feet) VA Claim Was Denied

You know you have problems with your feet. Maybe you have dealt with arch pain, swelling, difficulty standing, or problems walking for years. Maybe those symptoms started while you were serving. Or maybe you already had flat feet when you enlisted, but years of running, rucking, standing, and carrying gear made the condition noticeably worse.

Then you filed a VA disability claim for Pes Planus and got denied.

That can be difficult to understand, especially when there is no question that your feet are causing real problems.

But having Pes Planus and establishing that the condition is connected to your military service are two different things in the VA claims process. If your flat feet VA claim was denied, the issue may not be whether you have the condition. The problem may be whether the evidence clearly established service connection.

Understanding where that connection may have broken down is a good place to start.

What Does the VA Need to See in a Pes Planus Claim?

For an original VA disability claim, the VA generally looks for evidence showing three things:

• You currently have a disability
• An event, injury, or disease occurred during your military service
• There is a connection between your current disability and what happened during service

With Pes Planus, that connection to military service can become especially important.

Some veterans developed flat feet while serving. Others entered the military with Pes Planus already documented. Those are different situations, and the evidence needed to tell the story of your condition may also be different.

If your Pes Planus is already service-connected and you are trying to understand how the VA evaluates its severity, read our guide to Pes Planus VA disability ratings.

Flat Feet VA Claim Denied? These Are Some Common Reasons

There is no single reason the VA denies Pes Planus claims.

Every claim depends on the veteran’s individual service history, medical records, and other evidence. Still, there are several areas where a flat feet claim can run into problems.

The VA Does Not See a Clear Connection to Your Service

Having a current Pes Planus diagnosis does not automatically establish service connection.

You might have medical records clearly showing that you have flat feet today, but the VA still needs evidence connecting that condition to your military service.

That can become difficult when there is little documentation showing foot problems during service, or when symptoms were not medically documented until years after separation.

This does not necessarily mean the VA believes your pain is not real.

The question is whether the available evidence clearly connects the condition you have today with what happened while you were serving.

In some situations, a medical opinion may help explain that connection when it is not already clear from the service and medical records.

Your Flat Feet Were Documented Before Military Service

This is one of the more complicated issues that can come up in a Pes Planus claim.

Some veterans entered the military with flat feet already documented on an entrance examination or in other records.

That does not necessarily end the discussion.

A preexisting condition can involve a different question: Did military service aggravate the condition?

Military life can put significant stress on the feet. Running, rucking, prolonged standing, field exercises, heavy equipment, and years spent in military footwear may all be relevant when looking at how a veteran’s condition changed during service.

If your flat feet existed before you enlisted, the important question may be less about when the condition began and more about whether the evidence shows that military service made the underlying condition worse.

The Records Do Not Clearly Show That Military Service Aggravated Your Preexisting Pes Planus

This is different from an already service-connected disability getting worse years later.

Here, we are talking specifically about a veteran who entered service with Pes Planus and believes the condition became more severe because of military service.

That distinction matters.

Maybe you entered service with relatively mild flat feet but later began experiencing significant pain during physical training. Maybe you needed orthotics, sought treatment, received a profile, changed footwear, or began having trouble completing activities that had not bothered you before.

Those details can help establish how the condition changed during service.

Not every veteran went to sick call each time their feet hurt, so medical records may not always tell the entire story. The VA can also consider lay evidence, including statements from veterans and people who knew them during service.

The clearer the timeline is, the easier it becomes to understand whether there was a meaningful change during military service.

The Medical Evidence Shows Pes Planus but Does Not Explain the Service Connection

There is a difference between a medical record saying you have flat feet and a medical professional explaining why your current Pes Planus may be connected to your service.

That difference can matter.

Your current treatment records might document pain, orthotics, tenderness, imaging, or other symptoms in detail while still leaving the central service-connection question unanswered.

Why is the Pes Planus you have today related to military service?

In some claims, a medical opinion can help address that question by considering your service records, medical history, symptoms, and how the condition developed or progressed.

No single piece of evidence guarantees that the VA will approve a claim. The goal is to make sure the available evidence addresses the specific issue the VA is evaluating.

What Evidence Can Help Tell the Full Story?

If you are trying to understand why your Pes Planus claim was denied, look beyond the diagnosis itself.

Evidence that may help document the history of your condition can include:

• Entrance and separation examinations
• Service treatment records mentioning foot pain or flat feet
• Records showing orthotics, inserts, profiles, or treatment during service
• Current podiatry or orthopedic records
• X-rays or other relevant medical testing
• Medical opinions addressing service connection or aggravation
• Statements describing when your symptoms began or became worse
• Buddy statements from people who observed your foot problems during service

The VA accepts both medical records and lay evidence when evaluating disability claims.

One document may not tell the entire story.

Sometimes several pieces of evidence together create a clearer timeline of what your feet were like when you entered service, what happened while you were serving, and what you are dealing with today.

A Denied Claim Is Different From Receiving a Low VA Rating

These are two different situations.

If your Pes Planus claim is denied, the VA has not established service connection for the condition.

If your Pes Planus is already service-connected but you are trying to understand the disability percentage the VA assigned, that is a rating issue.

We cover VA rating criteria separately in our Pes Planus rating guide.

If your Pes Planus is already service-connected and has become more severe since your last evaluation, that is another situation entirely.

Keeping those issues separate helps you understand what question the VA is evaluating and what evidence may be relevant.

What If Pes Planus Is Causing Problems Somewhere Else?

If your flat feet are already service-connected but you believe they have caused or aggravated another diagnosed condition, that may involve a secondary service-connected disability.

That is different from trying to establish service connection for the Pes Planus itself.

We cover that topic separately in our guide to Pes Planus secondary conditions.

Start With the Reason the VA Gave You

If your Pes Planus claim was denied, do not assume you know why.

Start by reading your VA decision letter carefully.

Your decision explains what the VA reviewed and why it reached its conclusion. That can help you understand whether the problem involved service connection, a preexisting condition, evidence of aggravation, the medical connection between your current Pes Planus and service, or something else.

That distinction is important.

Gathering more paperwork without understanding what was missing the first time may not address the issue that led to the denial.

If you want to formally challenge or request review of a VA decision, consider talking with a VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization representative, claims agent, or attorney about the review options available to you.

Make Sure the Evidence Tells the Full Story

A denied Pes Planus claim does not necessarily mean the VA doubts that you have flat feet or that your symptoms affect you.

Often, the more difficult question is how the evidence connects your current condition to your military service.

For one veteran, that may mean showing when Pes Planus developed. For another, it may mean documenting how a condition that existed before enlistment became more severe during service.

The important thing is that your service records, medical history, statements, and other evidence tell a clear and consistent story.

Veteran Alliance helps veterans better understand VA disability claims and the documentation that may be relevant when preparing a claim.

If you are preparing a VA disability claim involving Pes Planus or another service-connected condition, contact Veteran Alliance to learn more.