What is a Functional Capacity Assessment?
A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) is an occupational therapy evaluation based on you and the activities you participate in daily. It’s guided by you and your family within your natural environments to ensure we identify the most suitable supports for you, now and into the future.
What should I expect from an FCA?
During an FCA, your Occupational Therapist will make observations and ask you some questions (including standardised assessments). It usually involves other key people such as teachers, medical practitioners, and other allied health practitioners.
FCAs take into consideration everything about you – where you’re at in life, your responsibilities, your medical history and any barriers you may face.
What’s included in an FCA report?
FCA reports written by occupational therapists usually:
- Identify your strengths
- List any possible limitations that can hinder you in being independent
- Recommend strategies and supports, such as recommending the number of support hours or equipment required within a NDIS plan
- Guide the NDIS planner and your family on supports that will be needed within a new NDIS plan as well as possible future planning.
When would I need an FCA report?
You may need an existing or new FCA report when:
- It’s a requirement of a plan – to help guide services and allowances made within future plans or for future life transitions. In this instance funding will typically be included within your NDIS plan.
- It’s recommended by your therapist, service provider, or support coordinator to support any change in circumstance or funding. In this instance, an FCA will typically be funded from the already allocated therapy budget within your NDIS plan.
- It’s requested by you or your family to guide your support needs if you are transitioning to the NDIS, or when reviewing or appealing a plan. In this instance, the FCA can be funded from your current NDIS plan or privately funded if not currently under NDIS.
How does having an FCA report benefit me?
- Increased participation and independence in activities (current and future)
- Ensures that adequate levels of support/funding are identified and justified to the NDIA
- Identifies possible therapy goals
- Helps to identify therapy strategies to support goal achievement
- Assists with forward planning/planning for future needs.
What makes a great FCA?
Given the importance of FCAs in the NDIS planning process, we’ve put together the below key points to help clients and referrers understand what makes a Functional Capacity Assessment great!
An FCA should:
- Be tailored to the individual, understanding the essence of the person and their specific needs
- Be strengths-based, ensuring not to limit the strengths of the person
- Make use of relevant evidenced-based assessments across all environments and will include comprehensive information across a broad spectrum of areas
- Be concise and easy to read, with minimal use of jargon and clearly defined recommendations.
