MMI, FCE, and restrictions
For many injured workers, the hardest part of the case begins when the doctor says MMI, orders an FCE, or gives permanent restrictions that do not fit the old job.
Maximum medical improvement is often treated like a turning point. It may start settlement discussions, impairment ratings, permanent restrictions, and vocational questions. But MMI does not always mean the worker is fine, employable, or able to return to the old job.
A functional capacity evaluation can become important evidence about lifting, standing, walking, bending, overhead work, sitting, and other job demands. If the FCE is inconsistent with the worker's old job, the case may involve more than a basic impairment rating.
Permanent restrictions can create a serious return-to-work problem when the pre-injury job was heavy, repetitive, production-based, driving-based, or required lifting and awkward positions. That is where the formula may apply: Workers' Compensation plus Social Security Disability equals serious return-to-work concerns.
Applying the information
Workers' compensation questions can depend on records, dates, medical evidence, and facts outside the scope of a general resource. A qualified Alabama workers' compensation lawyer can review how the rules apply to a specific situation.
Publication notice. The Alabama Work Injury Report is an information publication of Powell & Denny, P.C. It provides general Alabama workers' compensation and disability-information only, is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not predict any result. This page is a paid advertisement. Powell & Denny, P.C., 1320 Alford Avenue, Suite 201, Birmingham, Alabama 35226, is responsible for its content. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Reading this site or using an evaluator does not require you to contact Powell & Denny. Alabama workers' compensation can be difficult to understand, and no online checklist can cover every possible fact pattern. Even if an evaluator shows a lower-warning or green-style result, that does not mean you do not need a lawyer. If you are worried about your claim, we encourage you to call a qualified Alabama workers' compensation lawyer even if it is not us. If you contact Powell & Denny and we are not the right fit, you may ask us about referring you to another firm.