Pes Planus: How To get a VA Disability Rating for Flat Feet
The receipt you can’t find.
Ever tried proving a warranty claim without documentation? Frustrating, right?
Now imagine proving that your flat feet—commonly known as flat feet or pes planus—are connected to your military service when you never sought treatment during active duty.
That’s what thousands of Post-9/11 veterans face every day.
But here’s what the VA doesn’t tell you: The evidence for your pes planus claim already exists. It’s just hiding in places most veterans never think to look.
What Qualifies as Pes Planus for VA Disability Benefits?
Pes planus isn’t just about having “low arches.”
It’s a medical condition where the arch of the foot collapses, causing the entire sole to make contact with the ground. The VA recognizes two distinct types that determine your path to disability benefits for pes planus:
Flexible Flat Feet: Your arch appears normal when sitting but flattens under weight. This type develops during military service from repetitive stress—think countless hours of marching with 80-pound packs or standing on concrete in combat boots.
Rigid Flat Feet: The arch remains flat regardless of weight-bearing. This type almost always involves underlying pathology and typically qualifies for higher VA disability ratings.
Most veterans don’t realize this distinction exists. Yet it’s the difference between a straightforward service connection and a complex medical puzzle that requires expert navigation.
Understanding Pes Planus Symptoms and Diagnosis
The symptoms of flat feet extend far beyond sore feet after long walks.
Veterans experiencing symptoms of flat feet include:
- Chronic pain along the plantar surfaces of the feet
- Swelling that worsens with activity
- Difficulty finding shoes that provide adequate support
- Fatigue from altered gait patterns
- Secondary problems in ankles, knees, hips, and lower back
The VA uses specific diagnostic criteria found in 38 CFR 4.71a to evaluate these symptoms. But medical evidence alone isn’t enough.
The severity of your flat feet combined with functional limitations determines your final rating. Because rating for flat feet isn’t just about what your X-rays show—it’s about what your feet prevent you from doing.
How VA Defines Flat Feet for Disability Claims
The VA’s definition of pes planus centers on objective findings that can be measured and verified.
Under diagnostic code 5276, the VA evaluates acquired flatfoot based on:
- Weight-bearing line position over or medial to the great toe
- Inward bowing of the Achilles tendon
- Pain during manipulation and use of the feet
- Evidence of marked deformity with pronation and abduction
- Characteristic callus patterns from altered weight distribution
Notice what’s missing from this list? Your subjective pain level.
The VA rating system operates on observable, measurable criteria—not how much it hurts. This disconnect explains why many veterans with severe symptoms receive surprisingly low ratings.
Bilateral vs. Unilateral Flat Feet and VA Rating Differences
Here’s where most veterans leave money on the table.
If you have bilateral flat feet—flat feet affecting both feet—the bilateral factor under 38 CFR 4.26 can significantly increase your combined disability rating.
Flat feet rated either unilateral or bilateral receive different compensation levels. The math works like this: Individual ratings for right and left feet are combined, then an additional 10% of that combined value is added directly to your overall rating.
But here’s the catch: You need a compensable rating (10% or higher) for each foot to qualify for the bilateral factor.
How Does the VA Rate Flat Feet Disability Claims?
The VA rates flat feet disability claims using a four-tier system that seems straightforward but hides critical nuances.
Most veterans focus on proving they have flat feet. That’s not enough. The VA assumes you can prove the condition exists—they’re measuring how much it limits you.
VA Disability Rating Criteria for Pes Planus
Under diagnostic code 5276, flat feet va disability ratings range from mild to pronounced flat feet:
0 percent VA disability rating (Mild): Symptoms relieved by built-up shoe supports and both feet show no significant functional impairment. This acknowledges service connection but provides no monthly compensation.
10 percent VA rating (Moderate): Weight-bearing line over or medial to great toe, inward bowing of Achilles tendon, pain on manipulation and use of the feet.
20% Rating (Severe) – Unilateral / 30% Rating – Bilateral: Objective evidence of marked deformity, pain accentuated with use, swelling, characteristic calluses.
30% Rating (Pronounced) – Unilateral / 50% Rating – Bilateral: The highest rating for flat feet includes marked pronation, extreme tenderness, severe Achilles spasm, not improved by orthopedic appliances.
The disability rating for pes planus isn’t linear. Each level requires specific objective findings that must be documented during your C&P examination.
Understanding the Diagnostic Code for Flat Feet
Diagnostic code 5276 covers acquired flatfoot—the type most relevant to military service connection.
The criteria rating code for various ratings helps determine if you qualify for disability benefits. The rating code for various ratings progresses based on severity and functional impact.
If you entered service with mild, asymptomatic flat feet that became painful due to military activities, you may receive a VA disability rating through aggravation claims when military service aggravated your flat feet beyond natural progression.
Percent Rating Scale for Flat Feet VA Claims
The percent va rating for pes planus doesn’t just determine your monthly compensation—it affects your eligibility for other VA benefits.
Veterans who may receive the highest rating become eligible for additional programs. But disability ratings range from 0 to 50% for specific reasons reflecting that even severe pes planus rarely prevents all employment.
This limitation explains why secondary conditions become critical. While your flat feet might not qualify for the maximum rating, related problems might push your combined rating significantly higher.
Filing a Successful VA Claim for Flat Feet
Filing a claim for flat feet requires more than submitting medical records and hoping for the best.
The most common mistake? Assuming the connection between military service and flat feet is obvious. It’s not. At least not to the VA’s standardized evaluation system.
Required Documentation for a Flat Feet VA Disability Claim
Your flat feet claim needs three types of evidence working in harmony:
Medical Evidence: Weight-bearing X-rays showing arch collapse, examination findings that address each rating criterion, and documentation if you were diagnosed with pes planus.
Service Connection Evidence: Documentation proving your flat feet were caused or aggravated by military service—prolonged standing, marching with heavy loads, specific activities that contributed to the development of flat feet.
Functional Impact Evidence: Daily symptom diaries, work limitations, activity modifications, and statements describing symptoms associated with flat feet.
Most veterans submit only medical evidence. The VA’s duty to assist requires comprehensive documentation addressing rating criteria.
Connecting Pes Planus to Your Military Service
Service connection for flat feet doesn’t require a dramatic injury story.
Most Post-9/11 veterans developed pes planus through cumulative exposure to conditions that civilian feet rarely encounter. These activities create biomechanical stress patterns that accelerate arch collapse beyond normal aging.
When you could be rated for flat feet due to military service, you need medical opinions connecting cumulative military stressors to current foot pathology.
Common Reasons Flat Feet Claims Get Denied
VA denied flat feet claims typically fail for predictable reasons:
Insufficient Medical Evidence: C&P examiners who fail to perform weight-bearing assessments or properly evaluate painful motion under 38 CFR 4.59.
Weak Service Connection: Claims that don’t adequately explain how service caused the condition beyond natural development.
Inadequate Functional Documentation: Evidence that describes pain but doesn’t translate limitations into rating schedule language.
The VA decision process focuses on objective findings that meet specific criteria. Understanding these patterns reveals how to prevent denials through strategic documentation.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Flat Feet that Increase Your VA Rating
The real opportunity in flat feet claims isn’t the primary condition—it’s everything else that follows.
Pes planus creates a biomechanical cascade throughout your body. When your arches collapse, your entire kinetic chain adapts through compensatory patterns that inevitably lead to problems elsewhere.
How Conditions Due to Flat Feet Affect Your Overall Rating
Flat feet can also cause multiple secondary conditions:
Plantar Fasciitis: Altered foot mechanics increase strain on the plantar fascia, leading to chronic heel pain.
Ankle Problems: Veterans could be rated for flat feet secondary to ankle pain, as overpronation stresses ankle ligaments.
Knee Problems: When flat feet secondary to ankle pain develops, changed gait patterns affect knee joints, accelerating cartilage wear.
Hip and Back Pain: The result of flat feet often includes compensatory movement affecting hip alignment and spinal curves.
Each secondary condition can be rated separately under 38 CFR 3.310 when you establish clear causal relationships through medical evidence.
Qualifying for Additional Benefits with Secondary Conditions
Secondary conditions don’t just increase your disability rating—they can trigger eligibility for special monthly compensation.
Veterans who suffer from pes planus along with multiple secondary conditions may qualify for additional benefits beyond standard compensation.
The key is establishing that these problems are the direct result of your service-connected flat feet, not separate, unrelated conditions.
Tips for Getting a Higher Rating for Pes Planus
Getting va disability for flat feet isn’t about exaggerating symptoms—it’s about ensuring complete documentation of actual limitations.
The severity of flat feet can vary significantly between individuals, and documentation must capture your specific impact.
Properly Documenting Symptoms of Flat Feet
Effective documentation goes beyond describing pain:
Pain Timing: When does it hurt most? After walking? Upon waking? During weather changes?
Functional Limitations: What specific activities cause problems? How long can you stand, walk, or be on your feet?
Compensatory Behaviors: How do you modify activities? What do you avoid entirely?
Impact on Employment: How do foot problems affect work performance?
When flat feet if the condition significantly impacts daily life, comprehensive documentation ensures nothing gets overlooked during examination.
When and How to Appeal a Low VA Rating for Flat Feet
A low rating isn’t necessarily wrong—it might just be incomplete.
Before filing disability appeals, analyze your rating decision carefully. Many veterans immediately appeal low ratings without understanding why they received them.
The most effective appeals include new evidence that fills gaps in the original evaluation, demonstrating that service aggravated your flat feet beyond what was initially recognized.
Working with a VA Accredited Representative on Your Flat Feet Claim
Flat feet claims seem straightforward but hide complex legal and medical nuances.
An experienced representative understands how to structure claims when flat feet due to military service require strategic development. They know when veterans could be rated for flat conditions at higher levels through proper documentation.
Book a consultation with our team to ensure your claim receives the strategic development it deserves.
Living with Pes Planus: VA Benefits Beyond Disability Compensation
VA disability for flat feet opens doors to comprehensive benefits beyond monthly compensation.
Once you receive va disability benefits, additional programs become available that often provide more support than payments alone.
VA Healthcare Benefits for Flat Feet Treatment
Service-connected pes planus qualifies you for VA healthcare coverage related to your condition, including orthotic devices, physical therapy, specialized footwear, and treatment for secondary conditions.
Vocational Rehabilitation for Veterans with Pes Planus
Veterans rated 10% or higher for any service-connected condition may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation through Chapter 31 benefits when foot problems affect career prospects.
Conclusion
Pes planus claims succeed when veterans understand that the VA doesn’t evaluate how much your feet hurt—they measure how much your condition limits function.
The evidence for your claim likely already exists in your daily adaptations, work limitations, and the cascade of problems flat feet have created throughout your body. Those changes continue affecting your life every day.
But acknowledgment isn’t automatic. It requires strategic documentation, comprehensive medical evidence, and thorough understanding of how the system evaluates claims for this condition known as pes planus.
The most successful veterans don’t just file claims—they build cases that make approval more likely than denial.
The VA claims system wasn’t designed for simplicity, but it can be navigated with the right tools. Download our free guide: The 5 Fatal Flaws that Get Post-9/11 Orthopedic Claims Denied to understand the common pitfalls, explore our articles for deeper insights, or book a consultation to create your personalized claim strategy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : Jerome Spearman is a VA accredited claims agent and a legal nurse consultant specializing in orthopedic appeal representation for post 9-11 veterans. He believes that every post 9-11 veteran deserves a strategic advocate who turns VA denial confusion into clarity and earned benefits. Connect with Jerome on LinkedIn or by email at jerome@spearmanappeals.com for regular updates on VA policy changes and claim strategies.
REFERENCES:
- VA Office of Research and Development. (2023). Foot Function Index. VA’s Office of Research and Development. https://www.research.va.gov/research_in_action/Foot-Function-Index.cfm
- Cleveland Clinic. (2024). Flat Feet (Pes Planus): Types, Symptoms & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/flat-feet-pes-planus
- Physiopedia. (2024). Pes Planus. Physiopedia. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Pes_Planus
- Hill & Ponton, P.A. (2024). VA Disability Ratings for Flat Feet. Hill & Ponton, P.A. https://www.hillandponton.com/can-i-get-va-disability-for-flat-feet/
- StatPearls. (2024). Pes Planus. NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430802/
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (2024). Progressive Collapsing Foot Deformity (Flatfoot). OrthoInfo. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/posterior-tibial-tendon-dysfunction/
- Veterans Disability Info. (2024). Proving Service Aggravated Your Pre-Existing Medical Condition. Veterans Disability Info. https://www.veteransdisabilityinfo.com/blog/how-to-prove-military-service-aggravated-your-pre-existing-medical-condition/
- CCK Law. (2024). VA Disability for Pes Planus (Flat Feet) Explained. CCK Law. https://cck-law.com/blog/va-disability-for-pes-planus-flat-feet/
- VA Claims Insider. (2024). What to Expect from the VA for Flat Feet (Pes Planus). VA Claims Insider. https://vaclaimsinsider.com/what-to-expect-from-the-va-for-flat-feet-pes-planus/
- Cornell Law School. (2024). 38 CFR 4.71a – Schedule of ratings – musculoskeletal system. Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/4.71a
INTERNAL LINK SUGGESTIONS:
- Link to appointment booking page when discussing need for professional representation
- Link to articles page when mentioning additional VA claims resources
- Link to eBook download when referencing common orthopedic claim mistakes