Question 1

What does a forensic vocational expert do?

Accepted Answer

A forensic vocational expert is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) who applies vocational rehabilitation expertise within legal and administrative contexts. They conduct vocational evaluations, analyze transferable skills, assess earning capacity, perform labor market surveys, and provide expert witness testimony in personal injury, workers' compensation, Social Security disability, and employment litigation proceedings. Their opinions quantify the vocational and economic impact of injury, disability, or occupational event on an individual's ability to work and earn.

Question 2

What is included in a vocational evaluation?

Accepted Answer

A comprehensive vocational evaluation includes a review of the individual's complete work history and occupational profile, transferable skills analysis using O*NET, DOT, and SCO classifications, assessment of educational and credentialing background, integration of functional capacity and medical limitations, psychometric testing including aptitude and vocational interest inventories, and a compatibility analysis between the individual's vocational profile and available occupations in the relevant labor market.

Question 3

How is earning capacity determined?

Accepted Answer

Earning capacity is determined by comparing what an individual could earn before an injury, disability, or occupational event against what they can realistically earn afterward — given their current functional limitations, work history, education, and labor market access. FVRCG uses Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), O*NET occupational data, and forensic vocational methodology to produce a documented wage differential for use in litigation and settlement negotiations.

Question 4

What is a labor market survey?

Accepted Answer

A labor market survey is a systematic, jurisdiction-specific research study involving direct employer contact to document actual job availability, hiring criteria, physical demand requirements, accommodation willingness, and wage rates for occupations identified in a vocational evaluation. Unlike national statistical averages, it reflects real-world employment conditions in the specific geographic area relevant to the claimant — producing legally defensible evidence for litigation and administrative proceedings.

Question 5

How does vocational expert testimony support litigation?

Accepted Answer

Vocational expert testimony provides the trier of fact with specialized knowledge about the claimant's occupational capacity, earning ability, and employability that cannot be determined without expert analysis. A qualified vocational expert witness establishes the factual and methodological foundation for economic damages claims, challenges opposing vocational opinions, and communicates complex vocational rehabilitation concepts with the clarity required to influence litigation outcomes. FVRCG experts have testified in federal and state courts, Social Security hearings, workers' compensation proceedings, and arbitrations across 50+ jurisdictions.

Question 6

What qualifications should a vocational expert have?

Accepted Answer

A qualified forensic vocational expert should hold the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential — the gold standard in vocational rehabilitation — issued by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). They should have substantial experience conducting vocational evaluations and providing testimony in legal settings, working knowledge of accepted forensic vocational methodology, familiarity with relevant occupational databases (O*NET, DOT, BLS), and the ability to qualify as an expert under Rule 702, Daubert, and Frye standards. All FVRCG vocational experts meet these qualifications.

Question 7

Does FVRCG provide ADA compliance consulting?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FVRCG provides ADA compliance consulting including essential job function analysis, reasonable accommodation feasibility assessment, interactive process consultation, direct threat and undue hardship analysis, and ADA expert witness testimony for employment discrimination litigation.

Question 8

Are FVRCG vocational experts CRC certified?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All FVRCG vocational consultants hold the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential, the gold standard in vocational rehabilitation. Our experts qualify under Rule 702, Daubert, and Frye standards in federal and state courts.

Earning Capacity Analysis | FVRCG Professional Portal