The rating scale
What DC 5276 pays
Diagnostic Code 5276 rates acquired flatfoot — flat feet that developed after
birth, not flat feet you were born with. The full ladder:
- Pronounced, both feet — 50%
- Pronounced, one foot — 30%
- Severe, both feet — 30%
- Severe, one foot — 20%
- Moderate, one or both feet — 10%
- Mild, relieved by a built-up shoe or arch support — 0%
50% is the highest this code pays. If your flat feet cost you more than that, the way up is
not a higher number on DC 5276 — it runs through separate ratings for other conditions, loss of use
of the foot, or Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). Ask your VSO about
those, don't wait for this code to move.
If you were born with flat feet, or had them before you joined, this code still may not cover you
on a direct-service-connection theory — under 38 CFR 4.57, congenital flatfoot with no abnormal
calluses, pressure spots, strain, or tenderness is not compensable by itself. Your claim is almost
always an aggravation claim instead — the service made an existing condition worse. Say so
when you file.
★ Know the whole ladder before you read your exam result.
Read this first
The 50% findings — you do not need all of them
At the top tier, VA looks for findings like these:
- Marked pronation — your feet roll inward significantly
- Extreme tenderness on the bottom of both feet
- Marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the Achilles tendon when the examiner moves it
- Not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances — that word covers custom orthotics, arch
supports, built-up shoes, braces, and other devices a doctor prescribed, not just shoe inserts
You do not have to show every finding on this list. 38 CFR 4.21 says VA does not expect
every case to show every finding listed for a rating. The Board of Veterans' Appeals has said
the same about this exact code, more than once: the criteria are not written as an "and" list.
Under 38 CFR 4.7, if your case comes closer to the higher level than the lower one, VA assigns the
higher rating. Don't rule yourself out because one box wasn't checked.
★ Missing one finding does not mean you lose the tier.
Don't stop here
Flat feet rarely travel alone
- Plantar fasciitis has its own code, DC 5269 — separate from flat feet and payable in
addition to it. If you have heel or arch pain that's its own problem, ask that it be evaluated too.
- Secondary conditions — knee, hip, ankle, or low-back problems caused or made worse by how
flat feet changed the way you walk can be claimed separately.
- Under 38 CFR 4.59, "it is the intention to recognize actually painful, unstable, or
malaligned joints... as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating" — 10% under this code
— even short of a higher tier.
- Under 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45, VA must consider how your feet act up on your worst
days, not just how they look the day of the exam. Tell the examiner about your bad days, not an
average one.
★ One exam, more than one condition worth claiming.
The exam itself
What the exam covers
The exam runs off VA's own
Foot Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire. It asks about, and the examiner checks for:
- Pain on use and pain when the examiner manipulates your foot
- Swelling after use
- Calluses in characteristic spots
- How much your arch flattens when you stand on it
- Visible deformity of the foot
- How marked the inward roll (pronation) is
- Where your weight-bearing line falls compared to your big toe
- Bowing or displacement of the Achilles tendon, and spasm when it's moved
- Whether arch supports or built-up shoes help
Two questions worth thinking through beforehand — how long you can stand, how far you can walk —
are not on the official form. They're still useful for describing your limits in your own words. Use
your own real numbers. Don't repeat a figure you read somewhere else that isn't true for you.
★ Know the form before you're sitting across from it.
How to prepare
Before and after the exam
- Bring your medical records — diagnosis, treatment history (orthotics, medication, physical
therapy), and anything showing calluses, swelling, or tenderness
- Be ready to describe how flat feet affects your work and daily life, including your worst days
- After the exam, request a copy of the exam report and the DBQ the examiner filled out. It's the
only way to catch a wrong box checked, and your basis to challenge an incomplete exam
Describing symptoms you do not actually have is fraud. It can cost you the benefit, create a debt
you owe back, and expose you to prosecution. Answer honestly, with your own facts, every time.
★ Honest and specific beats rehearsed, every time.
If the rating disappoints you
The door stays open
- Higher-Level Review — a senior reviewer looks again, no new evidence needed. File within
1 year of the decision.
- Supplemental Claim — add new evidence. VA's own
Supplemental Claim page states there is no deadline to file this one.
- Board Appeal — file within 1 year of the decision (60 days only applies to contested
claims, which a flat-feet claim usually is not).
- None of this costs you anything to start. Ask about an accredited Veterans Service Officer
(VSO) — free help exists.
★ A low rating is a door, not a wall.