Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) · icare & Lifetime Care
Functional Capacity Evaluation for icare and Lifetime Care claims
For people with severe or long-term injuries covered by icare — including the Lifetime Care and Support Scheme — a functional capacity evaluation measures what a person can safely do and how that changes over time. These schemes fund reasonable and necessary treatment, rehabilitation and care for the life of the injury, so the evaluation is often part of longer-term planning rather than a single return-to-work step. Nexus Rehab coordinates the evaluation and reports objective findings; the person's treating team provides the clinical care.
How an FCE works under icare and Lifetime Care
icare schemes, including the Lifetime Care and Support Scheme, cover severe injuries from work or motor accidents and fund reasonable and necessary treatment, rehabilitation and care for the life of the injury. Because the horizon is long-term, a functional capacity evaluation here is usually part of ongoing planning rather than a single return-to-work step. These schemes are scheme-coordinated: an icare or Lifetime Care coordinator approves the evaluation, and Nexus arranges it once approved. The evaluation measures what the person can safely do across work and daily activity, and can be repeated as capacity changes over months or years. Findings are documented objectively and shared with the person's treating team and scheme coordinator. Nexus coordinates and reports; the treating team provides the clinical care.
Who refers and who funds
Under icare and Lifetime Care the referral is scheme-coordinated. An icare or Lifetime Care coordinator or case manager arranges the evaluation, usually as part of a broader care and support plan, and approves it as a reasonable and necessary service. Nexus coordinates the assessment once approved and works alongside the person's treating team. Make a referral and Nexus confirms scope with the scheme coordinator before booking. Coverage is all of NSW, metropolitan and regional.
What the report gives you
The report gives the scheme coordinator objective findings on what the person can safely do — across work and daily activity. It informs the care and support plan, including equipment, support needs and any staged return to work or activity, and gives a measured baseline that can be reviewed as recovery or goals change. Because the scheme plans over the long term, the evaluation keeps the plan matched to real, current capacity rather than assumptions.