FCE Workers' Compensation & Disability 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of disability benefit covers an injured worker who can return to some work but cannot earn wages equal to their pre-injury level?
- Permanent total disability
- Temporary total disability
- Permanent partial disability (Correct answer)
- Scheduled loss of use
Correct answer: Permanent partial disability
Permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits compensate workers who have a lasting impairment but retain some capacity to work and earn wages.
Question 2: A key validity indicator in FCE testing that suggests submaximal effort is:
- Pain rating of 8/10 throughout testing
- Coefficient of variation exceeding 15% on grip strength trials (Correct answer)
- Slower-than-average pace on walking tests
- Failure to lift the maximum normative weight
Correct answer: Coefficient of variation exceeding 15% on grip strength trials
A coefficient of variation greater than 15% on repeated grip strength measurements is a widely used indicator of inconsistent or submaximal effort.
Question 3: The Waddell signs are used in FCE/clinical evaluation primarily to identify:
- Neurological deficits
- Cardiovascular deconditioning
- Non-organic or behavioral components of pain behavior (Correct answer)
- Musculoskeletal deformity severity
Correct answer: Non-organic or behavioral components of pain behavior
Waddell signs (distraction, simulation, regionalization, overreaction, tenderness) are behavioral indicators that may suggest non-organic contributions to reported pain and disability.
Question 4: Under federal law, how long must an employer have employed a worker before FMLA leave protections apply?
- 3 months
- 6 months
- 12 months (Correct answer)
- 24 months
Correct answer: 12 months
An employee must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months (and 1,250 hours in the past year) to be eligible for FMLA protections.
Question 5: Which disability evaluation system assigns impairment ratings as a percentage of the 'whole person'?
- Social Security Blue Book
- AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (Correct answer)
- DOT Physical Demand Levels
- ICF Core Sets
Correct answer: AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment
The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment provide standardized methods for rating impairment as a percentage of the whole person, widely used in workers' compensation.
Question 6: An FCE evaluator notices a claimant's observed functional performance significantly exceeds self-reported limitations. This discrepancy should be:
- Ignored to maintain rapport
- Reported only to the referring physician
- Documented objectively in the FCE report without labeling the claimant (Correct answer)
- Used to immediately deny benefits
Correct answer: Documented objectively in the FCE report without labeling the claimant
Discrepancies between self-reported limitations and observed performance must be documented objectively; the evaluator's role is to report findings, not adjudicate credibility.
Question 7: Which component of the workers' compensation system is responsible for adjudicating disputed claims between injured workers and employers/insurers?
- State labor department
- Workers' compensation board or commission (Correct answer)
- Federal OSHA office
- Employee health department
Correct answer: Workers' compensation board or commission
Workers' compensation boards or industrial commissions serve as the administrative or quasi-judicial bodies that resolve disputed claims in most US states.
FCE Workers' Compensation & Disability 3
Which type of disability benefit covers an injured worker who can return to some work but cannot earn wages equal to their pre-injury level?