functional capacity assessments

what is a functional capacity assessment?

A Functional Capacity Assessment or Functional Capacity Report is a broad and in-depth assessment of a person's ability to participate in everyday life activities. They need to identify the support needs of the person, identify opportunities for capacity building, make recommendations on supports required and cover all areas of function.

how are they different from a regular progress report?

They're very different! Progress reports will usually just deal with one area, such as speech therapy or physiotherapy, but a Functional Capacity Report will need to cover all areas.

Progress reports will just summarise intervention, measure progress against the goals and make recommendations around that one particular area. Functional Capacity Reports will try to cover all areas of difficulty and will also include information about carer needs, home environment, school and other mainstream supports. So expect lots of questions!

why do you need one?

Functional Capacity Assessments are now commonly asked for by the NDIS. They are often requested if:

• your circumstances have changed,

• you are undergoing a review of your funding, or

• you feel that there is a mismatch between your needs and your funding.

what should you expect as a part of the process?

In order to complete the Functional Capacity Assessment, our occupational therapist will need:

• to speak to you about your other providers, or read reports that they have written,

• you to complete some questionnaires of standardised assessment tools,

• to observe the NDIS participant, which could be done at school, in a community setting, at home, or via Telehealth.

The reports are typically long (often anywhere up to 25 pages) and will usually take 10-15 hours of report writing to complete.