The goal of Physical and Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluations is to determine an individual’s capacity to tolerate and sustain work duties, identify potential accommodations, and make recommendations for additional training, rehabilitation or job coaching interventions as needed. 

FCEs can be of benefit:

• As a baseline before starting a job, rehabilitation program, following injury or illness
• To measure progress during or following a rehabilitation program
• To determine a person’s ability to perform their pre-injury job
• To determine a person’s general work abilities

These types of assessments can help the client, the employer, insurance, or other referral sources, and the rehab teams in a variety of ways.

• Client – to learn their safe tolerance in order to prevent re-injury or exacerbation of symptoms.
• Referral Source (e.g., Employer, Insurance) – to determine a person’s suitability for a specific job.
• The Rehabilitation Team – to obtain objective information regarding the person’s physical and cognitive abilities in order to guide treatment.

Physical Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) 

A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a comprehensive 2-day assessment designed to evaluate an individual’s physical abilities and overall functional capacity to work  following an injury or illness.  

The assessment includes: 

• Standardized FCE measures assessing strength, mobility, coordination, endurance, and postural tolerances. 

• Non-standardized observations of physical, cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial function. 

• A holistic approach that considers an individual’s ability to sustain work-related activities and daily living tasks. 

The two-day assessments provide a realistic measure of an individual’s ability to sustain work tasks by evaluating performance on consecutive days, ensuring an accurate assessment of work tolerance and endurance. 

Assessment Process: 

• Two-day structured evaluation, including: 

• Day 1: Up to 4 hours of in-clinic assessment.  

• Day 2: Up to 4 hours of in-clinic assessment. 

• Comprehensive file review, scoring, and detailed report preparation. 

Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation (CogFCE) 

A Cognitive Functional Capacity Evaluation (CogFCE) evaluates how cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial factors, in addition to physical limitations, impact an individual’s ability to function in the workplace and daily life. This evaluation is particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing memory difficulties, attention deficits, executive functioning challenges, or cognitive changes that present with chronic illness, brain injury, mental illness, and other conditions. 

The assessment includes: 

• Standardized measures evaluating cognitive functions such as attention, memory, problem-solving, and information processing speed. 

• Non-standardized observations of physical, cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial function. 

Assessment Process: 

• Two-day structured evaluation, including: 

• Day 1: Up to 6 hours of in-clinic assessment.  

• Day 2: Up to 4 hours of in-clinic assessment. 

• Comprehensive file review, scoring, and detailed report preparation. 

Both FCE and CogFCE assessments provide objective findings and tailored recommendations to support rehabilitation, return-to-work planning, and accommodations for current or future work demands. 

Contact us to schedule an assessment or learn more about how we can support you. 

For more information, or to make a referral today, please click here.