Plantar fasciitis received its own diagnostic code in 2021, when the VA updated the musculoskeletal rating schedule. Before that, it was rated by analogy, and evaluations were inconsistent. Diagnostic Code 5269 in 38 CFR 4.71a now sets out explicit criteria. For how a plantar fasciitis claim is decided in the first place, see our service connection overview.
The three rating levels
Diagnostic Code 5269 uses treatment response - not range of motion - as its measuring stick:
- 30 percent - bilateral plantar fasciitis, not responsive to treatment or surgery
- 20 percent - unilateral plantar fasciitis, not responsive to treatment or surgery
- 10 percent - plantar fasciitis, one or both feet, responsive to treatment (nonsurgical or surgical)
Why the treatment record decides the level
Because the criteria hinge on whether the condition responded, the treatment record is the rating evidence. A file showing orthotics prescribed, physical therapy completed, corticosteroid injections given, night splints tried, and symptoms continuing anyway supports the higher levels. A file showing one clinic visit and no follow-up usually does not, even when the veteran's day-to-day symptoms are severe.
That is a documentation problem more often than a medical one. Veterans who manage the condition at home - over-the-counter inserts, stretching, avoiding certain shoes - frequently have nothing in the record showing the condition persisted through treatment. Our foot claim evidence guide covers how to close that gap.
Painful motion and functional loss still matter
Diagnostic Code 5269 does not displace the general musculoskeletal principles. Under 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45, the examiner is to describe functional loss - pain on use, weakness, fatigability, and lack of endurance - and 38 CFR 4.59 entitles painful motion to at least the minimum compensable evaluation for the joint involved.
Where a veteran also has arthritis, limited ankle motion, or another separately diagnosable condition of the same foot, those can be rated separately when the symptoms are distinct rather than duplicative. The rule against rating the same disability twice, in 38 CFR 4.14, is what keeps that in bounds. The same framework governs knee painful motion.
Where veterans start
Every case is different, and there is no obligation at any step. When veterans want to understand what their records actually support, these are the two most common starting points:
- Medical records review
A licensed physician reviews your records for a $250 flat fee and identifies which foot and ankle conditions the available evidence may support. The fee is refunded in full if nothing supportable is identified.
- Nexus letter
When the records support one, a licensed provider writes the medical opinion that addresses the link between your foot or ankle condition and your service or an already service-connected disability.
The bilateral factor
When compensable ratings exist for disabilities of both lower extremities, 38 CFR 4.26 adds 10 percent of the combined value of those ratings before they are combined with anything else. It is a small adjustment that regularly moves a veteran across a rounding threshold. Our VA rating calculator shows how combined values and the bilateral factor actually work out.
Related foot and lower-extremity codes
Plantar fasciitis rarely arrives alone. Other codes in 38 CFR 4.71a that commonly appear in the same claim include acquired flatfoot under 5276, covered in our flat feet ratings guide, metatarsalgia under 5279, hallux valgus under 5280, and other foot injuries under 5284. Limitation of ankle motion is rated under 5271, covered in our ankle ratings guide.
When the rating is not the problem
A rating discussion only matters once the condition is service connected. When the VA denied the claim because it did not accept the link to service, the answer is medical evidence addressing that link, not a higher-percentage argument. A medical records review identifies which conditions the existing file may support, and a nexus letter supplies the opinion when the records support one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the VA rating for plantar fasciitis?
Diagnostic Code 5269 assigns 10 percent when the condition is responsive to treatment, whether one or both feet, 20 percent for one foot not responsive to treatment or surgery, and 30 percent when both feet are not responsive.
Can I get more than 30 percent for plantar fasciitis?
Not under Diagnostic Code 5269 itself. Higher combined evaluations come from separately rated conditions of the foot, ankle, or knee where the criteria are met and the symptoms are distinct, and from the bilateral factor under 38 CFR 4.26.
What does not responsive to treatment mean?
It refers to a condition that continues despite the treatment tried - orthotics, injections, physical therapy, night splints, or surgery. Documentation of what was tried, for how long, and what the result was is what establishes it.
Is plantar fasciitis in both feet rated twice?
No. Diagnostic Code 5269 accounts for bilateral involvement within its own criteria, with 30 percent as the bilateral level when the condition does not respond to treatment. The bilateral factor in 38 CFR 4.26 can still apply when separate compensable ratings exist for both lower extremities.