Fitness for Duty Functional Capacity Evaluations (FFD) are performed on individuals who have been off work secondary to non-work related injuries or illnesses.

The purpose of the FFD is to determine whether or not the individual can safely perform the physical demands of the job tasks.

Without having a FFD performed, the employer assumes the risk of an employee returning to work who may not be recovered from the effects of an injury, creating a potential mismatch that could result in aggravation of injury or illness, or a subsequent workers' compensation claim.

The length of a FFD evaluation is one to two hours (or more).  The physical demands to be tested and the complexity of the diagnosis determine the length of the evaluation.  The number of physical tests performed in a FFD evaluation is generally greater than those performed during a typical Post-Offer Pre-Placement FCE.