Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Submit to a Field Visit?

Frank Darras, America’s Top Disability Lawyer, discusses Field Visits, Functional Capacity Evaluations and Independent Medical Examinations.

Frank Darras:

“Your insurance company calls and says they want to do a field visit to better understand your claim at a local level. Or the carrier calls and says, we really want a two day functional capacity evaluation where we can see how much you bend, lift, stoop, push, pull, carry. Or gee whiz, Frank. They want to get me independently medically examined. And I’m not sure the doctor they’ve selected is so darn independent. So what do we do?”

“In the first instance, for the field visit, some real questions and concerns– where’s the field visit going to take place? Obviously, they’d like to have it at your home. And I have some grave concerns about letting an insurance adjuster into my home. Field interviews– it’s crucial to have help from a lawyer that understands what they’re trying to get in a field visit.”

“A functional capacity evaluation, should you ever hurt yourself. Oftentimes, I hear people say, gee, Frank. I did my best. I gutted through the functional capacity evaluation. Well, sure, you gutted through it. But now it may have caused you further harm from a health standpoint.”

“Last, independent medical exams are often not independent. It may be the wrong doctor. It may be the wrong specialty. Maybe a doctor who no longer practices medicine, but is a professional, independent examiner. It happens. Get some free help from a lawyer who understands field visits, functional capacity evaluations, and the pitfalls of submitting to an IME without help.”