EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Pes Cavus (High Arch Foot)
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system) · reviewed 2026-05-27 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Pes Cavus (High Arch Foot) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5278 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5278 across 5 severity tiers (50% / 30% / 20% / 10% / 0%). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
OVERVIEW
Abnormally high foot arch causing lateral foot instability, metatarsal pain, callus formation, and difficulty finding proper footwear
RATING CRITERIA (5 LEVELS)
50%
Bilateral — marked contraction of plantar fascia with dropped forefoot, all toes hammer toes, very painful callosities, marked varus deformity.
30%
Unilateral — same criteria as 50% bilateral (marked contraction, dropped forefoot, hammer toes, callosities, varus deformity). OR — Bilateral — all toes tending to dorsiflexion, limitation of dorsiflexion at ankle to right angle, shortened plantar fascia, marked tenderness under metatarsal heads.
20%
Unilateral — all toes tending to dorsiflexion, limitation of ankle dorsiflexion to right angle, shortened plantar fascia, marked tenderness under metatarsal heads.
10%
Bilateral or Unilateral — great toe dorsiflexed, some limitation of dorsiflexion at ankle, definite tenderness under metatarsal heads.
0%
Slight — pes cavus without significant functional limitation.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system). Source verified 2026-05-27 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026