FCE Workers' Compensation & Disability 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the ADA, which term describes the process of modifying a job to allow an employee with a disability to perform its essential functions?
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Reasonable accommodation (Correct answer)
- Functional job analysis
- Transitional duty
Correct answer: Reasonable accommodation
Reasonable accommodation refers to modifications or adjustments that enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential job functions under the ADA.
Question 2: When an FCE report is used in a workers' compensation case, the evaluator's role is best described as:
- Advocate for the injured worker
- Treating clinician
- Objective third-party examiner (Correct answer)
- Insurance claims adjuster
Correct answer: Objective third-party examiner
The FCE evaluator functions as an objective third-party examiner whose findings must be unbiased and reproducible to be credible in legal proceedings.
Question 3: Which classification system is most commonly used in the US to categorize physical demand levels for occupational purposes?
- ICF (International Classification of Functioning)
- DOT/O*NET Physical Demand Levels (Correct answer)
- DSM-5 disability criteria
- ASIA Impairment Scale
Correct answer: DOT/O*NET Physical Demand Levels
The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and its successor O*NET define sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy physical demand levels used in FCE reporting.
Question 4: A worker's compensation claimant is placed on light-duty work but reports the job aggravates their injury. The FCE evaluator should primarily:
- Advise the employer to remove light-duty
- Re-evaluate functional capacity relative to light-duty demands (Correct answer)
- Contact the insurance company directly
- Recommend full disability status immediately
Correct answer: Re-evaluate functional capacity relative to light-duty demands
The evaluator should objectively reassess the claimant's functional capacity and compare it to the specific physical demands of the light-duty position.
Question 5: Which legal standard requires that an employee be unable to perform ANY gainful employment to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?
- Total and permanent disability
- Substantial gainful activity (SGA) (Correct answer)
- Permanent partial disability
- Occupational disability
Correct answer: Substantial gainful activity (SGA)
SSDI eligibility requires that the claimant be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) due to a medically determinable impairment lasting at least 12 months.
Question 6: In workers' compensation, 'maximum medical improvement' (MMI) signals that:
- The worker has fully recovered and can return to full duty
- The worker's condition has stabilized and further recovery is unlikely (Correct answer)
- The employer's liability for medical costs has ended
- The worker qualifies for permanent total disability
Correct answer: The worker's condition has stabilized and further recovery is unlikely
MMI means the worker's medical condition has reached a plateau where significant further recovery is not expected, which triggers impairment rating and disability determination.
Question 7: When comparing FCE results to job demands for return-to-work decisions, the evaluator should use job demands from:
- The worker's self-report of job tasks
- A formal job analysis conducted by a qualified professional (Correct answer)
- Standard internet job descriptions
- The insurance adjuster's summary
Correct answer: A formal job analysis conducted by a qualified professional
A formal job analysis conducted on-site by a qualified professional provides the most accurate and legally defensible description of job physical demands.
FCE Workers' Compensation & Disability 2
Under the ADA, which term describes the process of modifying a job to allow an employee with a disability to perform its essential functions?