generally the basic rule about forks is NO alterations period.
BUT if the manufacturer did this then it would have been approved by ansi and any other organization that enforces the standards on these things.

also fork heels? wear plates? NOPE not legal on any that i've ever seen.

any alterations made by any party other than the manufacturer are illegal and should not be allowed and any found should be taken out of service immediately.

If you want some good information about forks and inspections go here. Remove the spaces i added and follow the url. or just go to cascades website and search for fork inspections, or just google it.
h t t p s://w w w.cascorp.com/web2/home.nsf/links/americas-en-forkinspection