Do you need an FCE in a Social Security case?
I was recently asked if you need a functional capacity evaluation (FCE) in a Social Security disability case. No, but it really helps if you can get one.
As I previously wrote, it is vital to get a statement from your doctor about your abilities and limitations in the workplace. This is sometimes called a medical source statement, medical opinion, or a statement of your residual functional capacity.
Normally, this medical opinion is just your doctor’s “best guess” of what you can and cannot do. I don’t want to put this down. A doctor who knows your condition, and who knows you, can make a very good guess about how the conditions affects you and how it would affect you in the workplace.
However, a functional capacity evaluation objectively tests what you can and cannot do. A typical FCE will take 4 to 6 hours to test what you can do. You will be tired and quite possibly sore after it is done. However, this is often the very best evidence of your abilities and limitations.
Social Security already sent me to a doctor who had me bend and stretch. Is that the same thing?
