A Functional Capacity Assessment, usually shortened to FCA, examines how a person's disability affects the activities they need or want to do. It can cover personal care, managing a home, communicating, learning, moving around and taking part in work or community life.
The assessment leads to a written report. The report explains the findings, the information they are based on and any recommendations for support or further assessment.
What does the assessor need to understand?
A task can involve more than the part another person sees. Making dinner, for example, may involve deciding what to cook, checking ingredients, shopping, standing at the bench and using equipment safely. Someone might manage some of these steps and need help with others.
The assessor asks what happens in practice. Who helps? What kind of help do they provide? How often is it needed? Are there days when the task takes longer or cannot be completed? Equipment, routines and changes to the environment also matter.
This includes what is working. Completing an activity with effective support is useful information; the report needs to describe that support rather than leave it out.
Where does the information come from?
An FCA may draw on an interview, questionnaires, relevant records and assessment activities. With consent, a family member, support worker or treating professional may contribute information. The methods depend on the person and the question the assessment needs to answer.
The report should distinguish what the assessor observed from what someone described or a previous report recorded. It should also explain gaps that affect a conclusion. A telephone conversation, for example, does not provide direct observation of a bathroom transfer.
At Seeds, the telehealth process uses information supplied before the appointment, an OT interview and a review of the available evidence. Suitability is checked before booking. Some questions need an in-person or specialist assessment instead.
How can an FCA help with the NDIS?
An FCA can explain the effect of an impairment on everyday activities and provide reasons for recommended supports. Medical and other professional evidence may still be needed, including evidence about diagnosis, treatment and whether an impairment is likely to be permanent.
The NDIA decides eligibility and funding. An FCA cannot guarantee either. The NDIA also states that an FCA is not compulsory for NDIS eligibility: other relevant evidence may be sufficient.
Before booking, identify the question your existing information does not answer. That might be a change in support needs, an activity that has not been assessed, or a request from the NDIA for particular evidence. This helps establish whether a full FCA is appropriate and what it should cover.
Further information
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- What an occupational therapist does in an FCA
- How a telehealth FCA works
- How to prepare for your FCA
- Do you need an FCA to apply for the NDIS?
- What an FCA can and cannot establish
- How to choose an FCA provider
- How an FCA looks at everyday activities at home
- How an FCA contributes to an NDIS decision