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Requests for Psychiatric Fitness for Duty Evaluations have been on the rise in Oxnard, which is part of Ventura County, as well as in Santa Barbara County in recent years. A Psychiatric Fitness for Duty Evaluation (FFDE), also called a Psych Fitness for Duty, is an evaluation performed by a doctor to determine whether an employee has a psychological condition that could impact that person’s ability to perform important job functions.
A Psychiatric Fitness for Duty Evaluation is most often requested by an employer who observes that an employee’s conduct has recently become disconcerting. For instance, a worker who usually displays good behavior in the workplace suddenly becomes aggressive towards others, which could be an indicator of an undiagnosed mental health condition. An employer might also request a Psychiatric FFDE for an employee who has been on leave and wishes to return to work if there are still concerns about the person’s mental state. Even if the employer is relatively certain the employee has no continuing psychological issues that would affect his/her ability to work, getting a Psychiatric FFDE is often advisable for employers due to liability reasons. In fact, government organizations are often required to get Psychiatric FFDEs before allowing employees to return to work in certain situations, particularly teachers.
A Psychiatric FFDE should be done by a board-certified psychiatrist. A doctor doesn’t need any particular certifications beyond a medical license in order to do an FFDE, but it is very beneficial to use a physician who has experience conducting Psychiatric Fitness for Duty Evaluations. Inexperienced physicians will very often write reports that emphasize treatment and diagnoses rather than dealing with the specific concerns employers have or they may have problems complying with the laws regarding FFDEs.
California Medical Evaluators (CME) represents many physicians in Ventura County and Santa Barbara County as well as all over the state of California who frequently perform Psychiatric Fitness for Duty Evaluations in addition to other types of medical-legal evaluations including QMEs, AMEs, IMEs and Expert Witness Testimony. To request a medical expert for your FFDE case, click here.
