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Ruckmark

Help, definitions and sources

Plain-language explanations of what the app records and where the condition prompts come from.

Important notices

Personal recordkeeping only. Not medical or legal advice. No guarantee of VA acceptance or benefits. Review this report with your clinician or accredited representative.

Independent. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Entries are not monitored. Nobody reads your journal. If you are in crisis in the U.S., dial 988 then press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.

Definitions

When
When the symptom started or happened, not when you are typing. Change it if you are logging something from earlier. The record keeps both times: when it happened and when you wrote it down. An entry written more than an hour later is marked as a past entry so the record is honest about when it was made.
Severity 1–10
How bad it felt to you at its worst during this episode, on your own scale. 1 is barely noticeable; 10 is the worst you can imagine. There is no right answer and it is not a VA scale. Pick the number that matches your experience; using the same personal scale over time is what makes the record useful.
Duration
How long the episode lasted from when it started to when it ended.
I know roughly
You can estimate it. Enter minutes or tap a preset.
Still ongoing
It has not ended yet. Edit the entry later to close it with a duration.
Not sure
You do not know how long it lasted. Counted as unknown in reports, never as zero.
Work
What this episode did to your work that day. Work means a job, school or training, or an active job search.
No change
You worked as usual.
Modified
You kept working but had to change how: lighter duties, extra breaks, left early, started late, worked from home.
Stopped
You could not work, had to stop, or did not go in because of it.
Not applicable
You were not due to work that day: a day off, retired, between jobs, or not working.
Not sure
You cannot say. Leaving it blank means the same thing.
Daily life
The same question for everything outside work: chores, driving, errands, meals, caring for family, sleep, social plans.
No change
Your day went as it normally would.
Modified
You got through the day by changing, shortening or skipping some things.
Stopped
You could not do your normal day; for example you stayed in bed or cancelled everything.
Not applicable
Nothing was planned that this could affect.
Not sure
You cannot say. Leaving it blank means the same thing.
Missed work
Only time you were scheduled to work and did not, because of this episode, if you know it. Leave it blank otherwise. Enter whole minutes. Reports add these up only across entries that have a value and say how many entries that was.
Past entry
An entry recorded more than an hour after the symptom time. Reports show both times so the record is honest about when it was written.
Among recorded entries
Every number in a report describes only what you logged. Days without an entry or a mark are unknown, not symptom-free.
Nothing to record
A mark you add when a condition had no episode that day. Tap Nothing today on the condition's card, or mark an earlier day from its history page. Reports count marked days separately from unknown days and say when a mark was added after its day. If you log an entry later the same day, the entry counts and the mark does not. Only mark days that really had nothing to record.

Importing earlier entries

You can bring in symptom notes you kept before Ruckmark: a Ruckmark export, a spreadsheet saved as CSV, or lines you paste. The file is read on your device and you approve a preview before anything is saved. Every imported entry is marked “imported”, keeps the date you gave as the time it happened, and records the import time as when it entered the journal, so it always shows as a past entry. Reports count imported entries separately and say so. Rows with a day but no time can be given 12:00 if you choose; those are marked “time assumed” everywhere. An import can be removed as a whole, which deletes only the entries it created.

Documents you hold

A checklist, not a file store. You list the records you already have, for example a clinic note, an imaging report or a prior decision letter, with a date and where you keep it. Reports print that list at the end so your clinician or accredited representative can see what exists and ask you for what they need. Ruckmark never asks for or stores the files, and nothing on the list is verified by the app.

Exam-day sheets

One page to bring to an exam or appointment. You add the date, time and place, choose the conditions it covers, and write what you want to remember to mention and the questions you want to ask, in your own words. The sheet adds a short summary of what you recorded over the last 30, 90, 180 or 365 days, counted back from the exam date (or from today while the exam is ahead), plus the documents you listed. Print it, or open it on your phone. Ruckmark does not suggest what to say, and the sheet is not sent to anyone.

Condition prompts and sources

Prompt set version 2026-11-07.v1, reviewed against the eCFR on November 7, 2026. The eCFR is updated continuously; the text may have changed since. These summaries are not a rating engine and are not exhaustive.

Migraine

38 CFR §4.124a describes migraine in terms of how often attacks happen, whether they are prostrating (the regulation does not define that word in everyday terms), how long they last, and their effect on work.

Source: 38 CFR §4.124a (DC 8100)

  • This app never labels an attack “prostrating”; it records what you say happened.
  • Missed work is recorded as minutes, not as a legal conclusion.

Lower back (lumbar)

38 CFR §4.71a (General Rating Formula for the spine) considers measured range of motion, muscle spasm or guarding affecting gait or posture, and related nerve findings. §4.45 adds painful motion, weakness, fatigue and effects of sitting, standing and weight bearing.

Source: 38 CFR §4.71a and §4.45

  • No self-testing through pain and no angle estimates from a phone or photo.
  • Bed rest you chose yourself is recorded separately from bed rest a physician prescribed.

Tinnitus

38 CFR §4.87 covers recurrent tinnitus with a single evaluation whether it is perceived in one ear, both ears or the head.

Source: 38 CFR §4.87 (DC 6260)

  • More entries, louder sound or both ears do not change anything in this app; it records your experience only.
  • The app does not diagnose a type of tinnitus.

Sleep apnea

38 CFR §4.97 addresses documented sleep-disordered breathing, persistent daytime sleepiness, whether a breathing-assistance device such as CPAP is required, and certain severe clinical findings.

Source: 38 CFR §4.97 (DC 6847)

  • Whether a device is required is a clinician's statement; nightly use is your record. The app keeps them apart.
  • No adherence math, no treatment advice, and never a suggestion to stop CPAP.

PTSD / mental health

38 CFR §4.130 describes occupational and social impairment with examples such as sleep, mood, anxiety, memory and relationship difficulties. §4.126 directs that frequency, severity, duration, remissions and adjustment be considered, and that a rating not rest on social impairment alone.

Source: 38 CFR §4.130 and §4.126

  • This is not a diagnostic checklist and does not ask for trauma narratives.
  • Entries are not monitored. If you are in crisis in the U.S., dial 988 then press 1 (Veterans Crisis Line).

Knee

38 CFR §4.71a distinguishes recurrent instability or giving way and prescribed braces, meniscal symptoms, and limited bending or straightening. §4.45 adds functional factors such as pain on movement and effects of repeated use.

Source: 38 CFR §4.71a and §4.45

  • No self-diagnosis of ligament or cartilage injuries. Observed giving way is recorded as observed, not as a diagnosis.
  • No self-testing through pain. The affected side is recorded on the condition, not per entry.

Custom condition

No condition-specific regulatory mapping. Common fields only.

Privacy and limits

  • Your journal is stored under your account only. Nobody else can read it; there are no shared accounts or share links.
  • Transport encryption and provider-managed encryption at rest are minimum requirements, not end-to-end encryption. We do not claim HIPAA compliance.
  • We never ask for your SSN, VA password, claim number or medical records.
  • Export and deletion are free and never behind a paywall.