Workers’ compensation insurance in South Carolina will typically pay out a portion of your average weekly wage until you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) — the maximum level of recovery you can expect from your injury. If an injury has resulted in a permanent impairment, the physician will assign a numerical impairment rating representing lost functional capacity. A functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for workers’ compensation is a test physicians administer to find an accurate impairment rating to determine the appropriate amount of benefits you are entitled to.
What Does an FCE Involve?
Functional capacity evaluations usually involve a series of physical tests meant to gauge the functionality of a body part after an injury. The exact nature of the test depends on the specific injury, but test activities could include:
- Grasping objects with hands
- Reaching overhead
- Lifting objects
- Standing or walking
- Jumping
- Balancing
- Twisting
- Endurance tests
- Kneeling or crawling
- Stretching
In short, an FCE determines your range of motion, mobility, and physical ability. Test activities typically correspond to specific work-related tasks. For example, if you work in an office setting, an FCE might involve tasks like reaching overhead or sitting and standing up from an office chair. FCEs may also involve an interview component where a physician asks about your injury, treatment, and medications.
Who Does a Functional Capacity Evaluation?
A trained medical professional — typically a physical or occupational therapist — will perform an FCE in a certified medical facility. Other professionals that can perform an FCE include athletic trainers and exercise scientists. The typical test can take between four and eight hours across one or two days, depending on the type of injury, the employee’s occupation, and the employee’s general physical condition.
FCEs and Impairment Ratings
One of the main reasons for performing an FCE is to find an accurate impairment rating. Impairment ratings are percentage values that represent the extent of a specific impairment in the body. For instance, an impairment rating of 10 percent for an arm would mean it has lost 10 percent of its pre-injury functional capacity. Impairment ratings can refer to specific body parts or the entire body.
FCEs are an essential tool for calculating impairment ratings but are not identical. One can assign impairment ratings without an FCE and vice versa. An FCE can provide additional information about specific work activity restrictions that a singular impairment rating may not entirely capture.
Why Are Functional Capacity Evaluations Important for Workers’ Compensation?
FCEs are an important tool insurance companies rely on to accurately determine the extent of worker’s compensation benefits you are eligible for. Depending on your functional capacity and impairment rating, you may be entitled to receive partial or total permanent disability benefits.
This means that an FCE can have a massive impact on your life. If your impairment rating prohibits you from working in your field, workers’ compensation insurance may cover any salary difference you lose from switching careers. In the event of a catastrophic injury like an amputation or brain injury, insurance may pay disability benefits for the rest of your life.
FCEs are also used to delineate your individual work restrictions. Specifically, they tell you what level of work you can perform according to the Department of Labor’s guidelines. The Department of Labor uses five designations ranging from the lowest strength level to the highest.
- Sedentary work
- Light work
- Medium work
- Heavy work
- Very heavy work
Employees with a higher strength level are cleared to perform more physically demanding work.
What Happens If I Fake a Functional Capacity Evaluation?
You should not try to fake or exaggerate the results of a functional capacity evaluation. Physicians who administer the test are trained professionals, and they will be able to tell if you are over-exerting yourself or exaggerating the extent of your injuries. If a medical professional cannot perform an accurate FCE, it could negatively affect your ability to recover workers’ compensation money from the insurance company. If a medical professional finds you’re faking your injuries and impairment, you could become ineligible to recover workers’ compensation benefits entirely.
Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in South Carolina
South Carolina’s workers’ compensation system can be difficult to navigate when you’re trying to heal from a workplace injury. An attorney from Evans Moore, LLC can answer all your questions about FCE, maximum medical improvement, impairment ratings, and anything relevant to your workers’ compensation claim. Contact us online or reach out to us today at (843) 995-5000 to see what our workers’ compensation attorneys in South Carolina can do for you.