Read the list
See the criteria in plain language and the specific parts your description supports or leaves open.
A rater does not read your story. They read your words against a list of criteria. This shows you the list.
Secondary condition mapper, personal statement builder, and a reader for your rating decision. Enter your email and they open. No password, no card, nothing to cancel.
Ruck helps you compare your own words with the rating schedule, look for connected conditions, write from your own experience, and understand the file in front of you.
See the criteria in plain language and the specific parts your description supports or leaves open.
Map recognized pathways from conditions that are already service connected.
Shape a short personal statement from what you actually remember, without adding facts.
Paste one section of a decision or exam and get a plain-language readout. It is discarded after analysis.
Ruck is owned and operated by a disabled Coast Guard veteran who spent years navigating and learning the VA system on his own.
Ruck is the process I wish I had when I started: a clearer way to organize what happened, what is wrong now, and what still needs to be connected.
Your claim is still yours. Ruck does not represent you, file for you, or tell you what VA will decide.
The gap checker is free to use. The rest of the tools open with an email so Ruck can follow up when something needs attention. There is no subscription and no payment screen.
Ruck is software for veterans filing their own claims. It does not file anything, represent you, or promise an outcome.
A rater does not read your story. They read your words against a list of criteria. This shows you the list.
Add the conditions you already know are service connected. Ruck will map recognized medical pathways and the evidence worth gathering for each one.
Answer in plain language. Ruck will shape your answers into a short first-person draft without adding facts you did not provide.
Understand what the page in front of you is saying, what carries weight, and what a rater might expect to see.
VA Form 20-10206, Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act Request.
Open VA Form 20-10206Online through VA.gov's QuickSubmit upload tool
Fax to 844-531-7818
Mail to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444
Mark it as a Privacy Act request, not a FOIA request. Be specific about scope: ask for the complete claims file including C&P exams and rating code sheets.
Three to four months is typical. Within 7 to 14 days it should appear in your VA.gov account as an open request.
An accredited VSO representative can gather evidence, file your claim, and talk to VA on your behalf. It is free, always, and it is not a lesser option than paying somebody. Most veterans use a VSO on their initial claim.
VA keeps the official list and updates it several times a week. Search by zip code:
Search VA's directoryRuck is not a substitute for a VSO. If you can get one, get one. Ruck is here for the parts you are doing on your own.