On this page
- Foot injury VA rating criteria (DC 5284)
- How much VA pays for a foot injury
- Which code your foot belongs under
- Painful motion and flare-ups
- How to prove a foot condition is service connected
- The C&P exam and the Foot Conditions DBQ
- Why VA denies foot claims
- Questions veterans ask about foot conditions
- Sources
Foot claims are among the more common appeals at the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and most of the fights are not about whether the foot hurts. They are about which code the foot belongs under. The rating schedule names eight foot conditions, each with its own small table, and then has a catch-all, DC 5284, for "foot injuries, other." The catch-all pays up to 30 percent per foot, more than several of the named codes, so where your condition lands decides your number.
This page covers the foot problems that do not have their own Claim Raven page: general foot injuries and foot pain, hammer toes, hallux rigidus and broken metatarsal or tarsal bones. Flatfoot, plantar fasciitis, bunions, claw foot and Morton's neuroma each have a page of their own, linked below. The Board section further down shows how foot appeals have ended and why the Board denied or sent back the ones it did not grant.
Foot injury VA rating criteria (DC 5284)
The foot codes are in 38 CFR § 4.71a. Here is DC 5284 in full, with the rating percentages in the first column (the 40 percent level comes from the note to the code):
| Rating | DC 5284, foot injuries, other |
|---|---|
| 40% | "With actual loss of use of the foot, rate 40 percent." |
| 30% | Severe |
| 20% | Moderately severe |
| 10% | Moderate |
The schedule never defines moderate, moderately severe or severe. Raters weigh the whole record, and 38 CFR § 4.6 tells them to study every piece of evidence "to the end that decisions will be equitable and just." In practice the line between levels is drawn from how far you can walk and stand, whether you need a cane, brace or custom orthotics, swelling, deformity, calluses, and how much the foot limits work. Your own account of those limits is evidence; write it down.
The 40 percent level needs actual loss of use. 38 CFR § 4.63 defines loss of use of a foot as the point where "no effective function remains other than that which would be equally well served by an amputation stump" with a prosthesis, judged by balance and propulsion. Loss of use also triggers special monthly compensation, so it is worth asking about when a foot no longer works.
The other foot codes on this page
| Code | Schedule text | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| DC 5282, hammer toe | All toes, unilateral without claw foot | 10% |
| DC 5282, hammer toe | Single toes | 0% |
| DC 5281, hallux rigidus | Unilateral, severe: "Rate as hallux valgus, severe." Not to be combined with claw foot ratings | 10% |
| DC 5283, malunion or nonunion of tarsal or metatarsal bones | Severe | 30% |
| DC 5283 | Moderately severe | 20% |
| DC 5283 | Moderate | 10% |
| DC 5283 | With actual loss of use of the foot | 40% |
Hallux valgus, severe, is 10 percent under DC 5280, so severe hallux rigidus rates 10 percent per foot. A stress fracture of a metatarsal that healed badly, or never healed, rates under DC 5283 on the same 10, 20, 30 and 40 percent ladder as DC 5284.
Named foot conditions with their own pages
| Condition | Code | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Flatfoot (pes planus) | DC 5276 | Flat feet |
| Plantar fasciitis | DC 5269 | Plantar fasciitis |
| Claw foot (pes cavus) | DC 5278 | Pes cavus |
| Metatarsalgia, Morton's neuroma | DC 5279 | Morton's neuroma |
| Hallux valgus (bunions) | DC 5280 | Bunions |
How much VA pays for a foot injury
Each foot is rated on its own, so a veteran with injuries to both feet can hold two ratings that combine. At VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, a single rating pays a veteran alone $180.42 a month at 10 percent, $356.66 at 20 percent and $552.47 at 30 percent. The criteria table above this article shows each level with its pay.
Two 30 percent foot ratings combine to 51 percent under the combined ratings table. Because both feet are part of the lower extremities, 38 CFR § 4.26 then adds 10 percent of that value (the bilateral factor), which gives 56.1, and VA rounds that to 60 percent. The combined rating calculator does both steps for you.
Which code your foot belongs under
Two court decisions set the rules, and the Board cites both in foot appeals.
A named condition stays in its own code. In Copeland v. McDonald, 27 Vet. App. 333 (2015), the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims held that when a condition is specifically listed in the rating schedule, it may not be rated by analogy under another code. Flatfoot rates under DC 5276, not DC 5284, even if DC 5284 would pay more.
An unlisted condition must be considered under DC 5284. In Scott v. Wilkie, 920 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2019), the Federal Circuit held that foot conditions not listed in the schedule may be rated by analogy under DC 5284, and that the Board must consider that rating for its decision to be complete. Tendon problems, nerve entrapment, arthritis in the midfoot, residuals of foot surgery and similar problems fall here. If your decision rated an unlisted foot condition at 0 or 10 percent under a different code without weighing DC 5284, that is an appealable error.
You can hold ratings for two foot conditions on the same foot when they rest on different symptoms. What VA cannot do is rate the same pain or limitation twice; 38 CFR § 4.14 bars "the evaluation of the same manifestation under different diagnoses."
Painful motion and flare-ups
38 CFR § 4.59 says the rating schedule intends "to recognize actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints, due to healed injury, as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint." For years VA argued this only applied to codes that measure range of motion. In Southall-Norman v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 346 (2016), the Court disagreed: the plain language of § 4.59 "is not limited to the evaluation of musculoskeletal disabilities under DCs predicated on range of motion measurements." A foot joint that is actually painful can support the minimum compensable rating under the foot codes.
Flare-ups count too. A foot that is moderate on a quiet day and severe after a shift on your feet should be described at its worst, with how often the worst happens and how long it lasts. In Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017), the Court held that an examiner has to ask about flare-ups and estimate the functional loss during them from all the evidence, including your own account, or explain why that cannot be done.
How to prove a foot condition is service connected
Injuries and overuse in service
Boots, rucks, runs and hard surfaces are hard on feet, and the research on service members bears that out. In a study of 1,065 Royal Marines recruits, 21 developed second or third metatarsal stress fractures during training, and foot structure and how the forefoot took load predicted who did (Dixon and colleagues, 2019). In the Millennium Cohort, among 80,106 active-duty personnel followed for a year, recent deployment was linked to higher odds of plantar fasciitis, and overweight service members were more likely to develop Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis (Owens and colleagues, 2013).
For a direct claim, the record you want is a sick call note, profile or X-ray from service showing the foot problem, a current diagnosis, and an opinion connecting the two. If your foot pain started in service but was never written down, buddy statements from people who saw you limping or on profile help fill that gap; the buddy letter tool walks you through one.
Hallux rigidus after an injury
Hallux rigidus, the stiff and painful big toe joint, is often blamed on age. A surgical series of 110 patients found it was linked with a history of trauma when it affected only one foot, while a family history went with both feet (Coughlin and Shurnas, 2003). A documented jamming injury, turf toe or fracture in service can help a clinician assess whether the later stiff joint is related to that injury.
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Under 38 CFR § 3.310, a foot condition caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition is service connected too. A secondary opinion should address aggravation as well as cause: the foot condition is aggravated by the veteran's service-connected knee, meaning it would be less severe but for the knee. When aggravation is at issue, an opinion addressing only cause can be inadequate under El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013).
If you believe a change in how you walk from a service-connected foot condition caused or worsened another condition, ask the clinician to explain that connection using your records. The Board section below shows available results for foot-related secondary claims.
The C&P exam and the Foot Conditions DBQ
VA uses the Foot Conditions DBQ for foot claims. It has separate sections for flatfoot, plantar fasciitis, toe and forefoot conditions, bone findings and other foot injuries, and it asks about pain, functional loss, surgery and devices such as orthotics.
Three things decide most foot exams:
- Your description of your worst days. If you only describe the day of the exam, the rating will reflect the day of the exam.
- Whether the examiner calls the severity moderate, moderately severe or severe. If the findings and the label do not match (marked deformity labeled "moderate," for example), point that out in a statement.
- Whether every foot problem is listed. An exam that addresses only flatfoot will not rate the hammer toes or the old metatarsal fracture. List each diagnosis on the claim. If you have both bilateral and one-sided problems, say which foot each one affects.
Before the exam, Raven Scan can read your treatment records and pull out podiatry findings, X-ray results and orthotic prescriptions, so you can walk in with the dates and details the DBQ asks for.
Why VA denies foot claims
The Board section below shows what the Board found missing in denied foot appeals and why it sent others back. These are the patterns behind those numbers.
No link to service. Foot pain is common, and examiners often attribute it to age, weight or civilian work. A favorable opinion has to engage with your service history, not just the diagnosis.
No in-service record. Many foot problems were treated with moleskin and ibuprofen at sick call and never charted. Lay statements about what happened, from you and from people who served with you, are competent evidence of what you experienced.
No current diagnosis. "Foot pain" alone is a symptom. Get a diagnosis: plantar fasciitis, hallux rigidus, metatarsalgia, a nonunion, tendinopathy, neuroma.
The wrong code. A named condition squeezed into DC 5284, or an unlisted one never considered under it, is legal error. Copeland and Scott are the two cases to cite.
An inadequate exam. An inadequate VA exam is the most common reason the Board sends foot claims back; the remand reasons below show how often. An exam that skips flare-ups, repeated use or one of your diagnoses leaves the rater without what the rating needs.
Questions veterans ask about foot conditions
What is the VA rating for foot pain?
Foot pain is rated through the diagnosis behind it. A foot injury or unlisted foot condition rates 10, 20 or 30 percent under DC 5284 for moderate, moderately severe or severe, and 40 percent with loss of use. Named conditions such as flatfoot or plantar fasciitis use their own codes.
What is the highest VA rating for a foot injury?
30 percent per foot under DC 5284 or DC 5283, or 40 percent when there is actual loss of use of the foot. Loss of use of a foot also qualifies for special monthly compensation.
What is the VA rating for hammer toes?
10 percent when all the toes of one foot are hammer toes without claw foot, under DC 5282. A single hammer toe rates 0 percent, though a painful toe joint can still matter under § 4.59 and for the overall picture of the foot.
What is the VA rating for hallux rigidus?
Severe hallux rigidus is rated as severe hallux valgus under DC 5281, which is 10 percent per foot. It cannot be combined with a claw foot rating for the same foot.
Can both feet be rated separately?
Yes. Most foot codes rate each foot on its own, and when both feet are rated, VA applies the bilateral factor when it combines them, which can raise the combined rating.
Can knee or back pain be secondary to a foot condition?
Yes. If a service-connected foot condition changes how you walk and that strains a knee, hip or the back, those can be service connected under 38 CFR § 3.310. You need a medical opinion explaining the link, including whether the foot made the other condition worse.
Sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, foot diagnostic codes 5269 to 5284 (opens in a new tab), eCFR text as of October 2, 2026
- 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 4.63, loss of use of a hand or foot (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 4.14, avoiding pyramiding (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 4.6, evaluation of evidence (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 4.26, bilateral factor (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 3.310, secondary service connection (opens in a new tab)
- Copeland v. McDonald, 27 Vet. App. 333 (2015); Scott v. Wilkie, 920 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2019); Southall-Norman v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 346 (2016); Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017); El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013)
- Dixon S, Nunns M, House C, and colleagues. Prospective study of biomechanical risk factors for second and third metatarsal stress fractures in military recruits. J Sci Med Sport. 2019;22(2):135-139. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2018.06.015 (opens in a new tab)
- Owens BD, Wolf JM, Seelig AD, and colleagues. Risk factors for lower extremity tendinopathies in military personnel. Orthop J Sports Med. 2013;1(1). doi:10.1177/2325967113492707 (opens in a new tab)
- Coughlin MJ, Shurnas PS. Hallux rigidus: demographics, etiology, and radiographic assessment. Foot Ankle Int. 2003;24(10):731-743. doi:10.1177/107110070302401002 (opens in a new tab)
- VA disability compensation rates (opens in a new tab), effective December 1, 2025
- Foot Conditions DBQ guide