Fitness of Duty Evaluations Practice
The Psychiatric Fitness-for-Duty Examination (FFDE) is performed to obtain unbiased psychiatric, and sometimes, neuro-cognitive, information concerning the ability of the patient to safely and effectively perform their job. The purpose of a FFDE is to protect the individual, their coworkers, and the community at large. The goal of the FFDE should be to provide clarity on the individual’s mental health, and its impact on the demands of the job. The evaluation should serve the purpose, not an individual or entity, with clear language understandable to the non-mental health professional using the available information and objective testing, to present the conclusions in a fair, accurate, and legally defensible manner.
While FFDE can fall under Forensic Psychology Practice, the range and scope of these assessments are wide enough to warrant their own page. Comprehend the Mind performs a great number of such evaluations at the request of individuals, employers, service agencies, and the courts.
Some common FFDE referrals are:
*NYPD, FDNY, Department of Corrections, Public Safety, and other candidates seeking to appeal a denial after failing a psychological examination.
ACS, child protection agencies, or court-ordered evaluations to assess the fitness of a parent for cognitive or psychiatric reasons.
Referral of an employee after an incident, to determine fitness to return to work unless cleared.
Fitness evaluations for medical procedures, including bariatric or gastric bypass surgery
*Upon your NOD (notice of disqualification), our team at CtM can request medical records from previous evaluations from the NYPD (or other agencies such as FDNY or DOC). We can guide you to acknowledge the NOD and submit an appeal notice to NYPD and request an extension from the initial 30 days allowed.