Assessment services
Functional Capacity Evaluation
A clinician works through a standardized set of physical tasks — lifting, carrying, sitting, standing, reaching — and reports what the person can do against the demands of their job. In Ontario the same assessment is called a Functional Abilities Evaluation (FAE). Employers and insurers order it for return-to-work and disability decisions.
The problem
The file says restrictions with no measurement behind them
The employer needs to know what the person can lift, how long they can stand, and whether full duties are safe. The chart offers a diagnosis and a sick note. Between them sits no test anyone can point to.
- The job demands on file are two years old or missing entirely.
- A one-line restriction contradicts what the person does every day.
- Nobody re-tests, so temporary limits harden into permanent ones.
What changes
What IMECore does about it
Capacity measured in the room
Lifting, carrying, positional tolerance, and endurance are tested directly and reported as numbers, not impressions.
Tested against the actual job
The current job description sets the pass mark. The report maps each measured capacity to a duty the employer recognizes.
Limits with a review date
Each restriction carries a scope and a date to re-test. The employer view shows capability, not the clinical narrative.
Free tools
Try the calculation first
No account, no upload. These run in your browser.
- Free tool
Interpreter and accommodation planner
Select the language, accessibility needs, and material requirements. The planner builds the interpreter booking, break schedule, and room checklist.
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IME referral intake checklist
Pick the claim type, province, and who is asking. Tick what you have. Copy what is still missing.
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FAQ
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an FCE and an FAE?
Mostly the name. Ontario calls this assessment a Functional Abilities Evaluation; elsewhere it is usually a Functional Capacity Evaluation. Both measure what the body can do against job demands.
What does the examinee do?
A supervised series of physical tasks matched to their job: lifting and carrying at graded weights, sitting, standing, walking, reaching, and handling. Effort is observed throughout, and breaks are part of the protocol.
Can it run by video?
No. The tasks need calibrated weights and direct observation, so this assessment is always in person.
Keep reading
Related pages
- For teams
Employers
We arrange fitness-to-work and return-to-work assessments, Functional Capacity Evaluations (Functional Abilities Evaluation or FAE in Ontario), Physical Demands Analyses, and Job Site Assessments. You receive capability and restriction against the duties you named, and the employee is told what the appointment is, who ordered it, and who sees the report.
Read - For teams
Insurers and adjusters
We deliver Independent Medical Examinations, Functional Capacity Evaluations, and Medical File Reviews for ICBC Part 7, Ontario SABS, Section B, LTD, and life and health files. A named reviewer signs off every report before it reaches your desk.
Read - Claim type
Workers' compensation
We coordinate the examination and deliver a report in the board's language: work-relatedness, restrictions, and the rating the claim file needs.
Read - Specialty
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
A physiatrist maps what the body can still do and what recovery remains. IMECore lines up the treatment history so the function opinion rests on records.
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Refer a case, get back a signed report
Send the referral and the questions. A coordinator confirms the file and what it still needs, then IMECore coordinates the examination and delivers a signed report.