What can you actually do after an injury, and what are you just saying you can do? A functional capacity evaluation is a structured test, usually done by a physical or occupational therapist, that measures what a person can physically handle at work and in daily life. It can include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, walking, gripping, reaching, bending, and how long those tasks can be done safely. The point is to compare your real-world ability to the demands of a job or to the limits caused by an injury.

Here's the hard truth: an FCE can help you, or it can be used against you. If the results show clear physical limits, it may support a disability claim, work restrictions, need for more treatment, or proof of lost earning ability. If the evaluator says you can do more than you claim, the insurance company will grab that report and run with it.

In an injury case, that matters because an FCE can affect damages, lost wages, and arguments about whether you reached maximum medical improvement. In Oregon, FCEs often show up in workers' compensation and serious injury cases when there is a fight over return-to-work capacity. Oregon has no voter-approved cap on non-economic damages in ordinary injury cases, which means strong proof of lasting physical limits can carry real weight when pain, loss of function, and future work problems are being valued.