Persistent plantar fasciitis can become a genuinely chronic, disabling condition — particularly for veterans who, because of their ongoing service or work demands, were never able to properly rest and modify their activity to allow it to heal.
Why Plantar Fasciitis Shows Up So Often in Veterans
Running long distances in military boots, load-bearing marches, and physical training on hard surfaces are the primary causes of plantar fasciitis in ADF veterans. It's particularly common in infantry and other ground-based combat units, where the volume of marching and running is highest.
What the Statement of Principles requires
DVA measures every claim against a Statement of Principles (SoP) — a legally binding document setting out the specific factors that can connect a condition to service. Here are the pathways that most often apply to plantar fasciitis claims, in plain language.
Prolonged weight-bearing activity
At least 1,000 hours of weight-bearing activity — running and marching — within a 5-year period before onset.
Load carriage on hard surfaces
Regular load-bearing marches on hard surfaces over an extended period of service.
This is the plain-English version. Read every factor of the Plantar fasciitis Statement of Principles exactly as the Repatriation Medical Authority wrote it.
How DVA Approaches the Impairment Assessment
Assessment is based on pain levels, functional limitation, and treatment response — chronic plantar fasciitis that hasn't responded to conservative treatment and significantly limits walking and standing attracts more impairment points than a mild, well-managed presentation. A podiatrist or orthopaedic report confirming both the diagnosis and its chronicity, alongside imaging showing a heel spur or fascial thickening where present, forms the basis of a properly supported claim — and a documented history of failed conservative management (physiotherapy, orthotics, stretching programs) strengthens the picture considerably.
The evidence that decides it
Most initial liability decisions currently take DVA somewhere between 3 and 6 months, longer for complex or multi-condition claims. A complete, well-organised submission up front tends to shorten that wait considerably.
- A podiatrist or orthopaedic report confirming diagnosis and chronicity
- Imaging (X-ray or ultrasound) showing a heel spur or fascial thickening
- Service records establishing the physical training demands
- Treatment history showing the failure of conservative management
On the PAMT list
Plantar Fasciitis is one of the conditions covered by Provisional Access to Medical Treatment, meaning funded treatment could begin before DVA reached a liability decision. This included:
- Physiotherapy and podiatry treatment
- Custom orthotics provision
- Specialist consultations
Questions veterans ask about Plantar Fasciitis
Can I claim plantar fasciitis if it has improved with treatment?
Yes — a condition that has responded well to treatment can still be claimed based on its documented history and any ongoing residual impact, though the current level of functional limitation will inform the impairment rating.
Related conditions
The same service exposure that causes plantar fasciitis often produces related conditions that are separately claimable. It's worth having these assessed at the same time rather than as an afterthought.
Ready to Look Into a Plantar Fasciitis Claim?
Book a free consultation and we'll go through whether your circumstances meet the SoP factors, what evidence would strengthen your case, and what to expect next.
This page is general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Statement of Principles factors, thresholds, and program details are current as at the update date above but can change — always confirm against your own determination letter and the current SoP instrument. For medical concerns, speak with a qualified health professional; for legal advice, a solicitor experienced in military compensation law.
