YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Flatfoot, Acquired (Flat Feet) VA Disability Rating
The VA rates Flatfoot, Acquired under diagnostic code 5276, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides five evaluation levels for it: 50%, 30%, 20%, 10% and 0%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Flatfoot, Acquired
Fallen arches causing foot pain, imbalance, and difficulty walking.
Two things decide the evaluation: how the schedule grades the deformity, and whether one foot or both are affected. Mild flatfoot relieved by a built-up shoe or arch support rates 0 percent. Moderate flatfoot — weight-bearing line over or medial to the great toe, inward bowing of the tendo achillis, pain on manipulation and use — rates 10 percent whether it is one foot or both. Severe flatfoot — marked deformity, accentuated pain on manipulation and use, swelling on use, characteristic callosities — rates 20 percent for one foot and 30 percent for both. Pronounced flatfoot — marked pronation, extreme tenderness of the plantar surfaces, marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the tendo achillis on manipulation, not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances — rates 30 percent for one foot and 50 percent for both. Because "severe bilateral" and "pronounced unilateral" both pay 30 percent, whether the exam records one foot or two can matter as much as the grading itself.
- Diagnostic code
- 5276
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 50%, 30%, 20%, 10% and 0%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
Which level applies is set by the criteria the evidence meets, not by the diagnosis. Where there is a question as to which of two evaluations applies, 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Flatfoot, Acquired VA rating criteria (DC 5276)
Choose a percentage to see what that level means. Open the full comparison to read all the criteria in one place.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Flatfoot, Acquired claim
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Flatfoot, Acquired?
VA's page says: “You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers.”
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
THE EVERYDAY PICTURE
What the Flatfoot, Acquired examination has to record
The criteria above are read off an examination, and three sections of Part 4 govern what that examination has to contain. None of them is a diagnostic code, so none of them appears in the 5276 table, and all three apply to it. 38 CFR § 4.40: “Weakness is as important as limitation of motion, and a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled.”
38 CFR § 4.45 lists what an examination of a joint is directed to consider:
- Less movement than normal (due to ankylosis, limitation or blocking, adhesions, tendon-tie-up, contracted scars, etc.).
- More movement than normal (from flail joint, resections, nonunion of fracture, relaxation of ligaments, etc.).
- Weakened movement (due to muscle injury, disease or injury of peripheral nerves, divided or lengthened tendons, etc.).
- Excess fatigability.
- Incoordination, impaired ability to execute skilled movements smoothly.
- Pain on movement, swelling, deformity or atrophy of disuse.
38 CFR § 4.59: “It is the intention to recognize actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints, due to healed injury, as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint.” So a joint that is painful on use is not a finding of nothing, even where the measured motion is close to normal.
The same section says how the joint is to be tested: “The joints involved should be tested for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing and, if possible, with the range of the opposite undamaged joint.” An examination that records one measurement, taken once, sitting down, has not done what the section asks, and that is worth reading the exam report for.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Flatfoot, Acquired claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim2 tips
- 01
Describe daily activities impacted by the condition (walking, standing, uniform footwear), since functional impact adds important context to the clinical severity grading.
- 02
Submit photos or X-rays showing the arch collapsing during weight-bearing specifically, since flatfoot symptoms are often most apparent under load.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Using orthotic inserts but claiming symptoms as if untreated, which can create an inconsistency between reported severity and documented management.
- 02
Overlooking whether the condition is bilateral or unilateral, since this distinction significantly changes the rating tier.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Lacking a podiatry exam to properly characterize the condition's severity.
- 02
Not differentiating between the left and right foot when only one side is more severely affected.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
Acquired flatfoot typically develops over time from overuse, repetitive impact, or footwear that didn't adequately support the arch during service.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Flatfoot, Acquired by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate with confirmed gait issues.
- Service-connected disabilities (VBA count)
- 600,665 disabilities
- Typical rating awarded
- ~20%
Count of service-connected disabilities from the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), as of September 30, 2025; the report counts disabilities, not veterans. Approval outlook and typical rating are Vetrify editorial estimates, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Flatfoot, Acquired
Is Flat Feet a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Flatfoot, Acquired under VASRD diagnostic code 5276 (Musculoskeletal System). Fallen arches causing foot pain, imbalance, and difficulty walking.
What VA disability rating can I get for Flat Feet?
Possible VA ratings for Flatfoot, Acquired are 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. Examples: 50%: Pronounced acquired flatfoot, bilateral — marked pronation, extreme tenderness of the plantar surfaces of the feet, marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the tendo achillis on manipulation, not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances; 30%: Pronounced acquired flatfoot, unilateral (the findings described at 50 percent, in one foot); or severe acquired flatfoot, bilateral — objective evidence of marked deformity (pronation, abduction, etc.), pain on manipulation and use accentuated, indication of swelling on use, characteristic callosities; 20%: Severe acquired flatfoot, unilateral — objective evidence of marked deformity (pronation, abduction, etc.), pain on manipulation and use accentuated, indication of swelling on use, characteristic callosities, in one foot.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Flat Feet?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Flatfoot, Acquired at around 20%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. Per the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), veterans receiving VA compensation as of September 30, 2025 had 600,665 service-connected disabilities rated as Flatfoot, Acquired. The report counts disabilities, not veterans. Estimated approval outlook: Moderate with confirmed gait issues.
What evidence helps prove Flat Feet for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Flatfoot, Acquired claim includes: A podiatry diagnosis confirming the condition and its severity; X-rays and gait analysis documenting the arch collapse and its functional impact.
Which DBQ is used for Flat Feet?
VA's Foot Conditions Including Flatfoot (Pes Planus) Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's page says: "You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers."
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Flat Feet?
Common pitfalls when filing for Flatfoot, Acquired: Lacking a podiatry exam to properly characterize the condition's severity; Not differentiating between the left and right foot when only one side is more severely affected.
What conditions can be secondary to Flat Feet?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Flatfoot, Acquired, when a medical opinion links them, include: Plantar Fasciitis. A secondary condition gets its own rating, which VA combines with the veteran's other ratings under 38 CFR 4.25.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5276)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.40, functional loss
- 38 CFR § 4.45, the joints
- 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion
- VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), service-connected disabilities count, as of September 30, 2025
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
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