What are the main points of difference between EAP services and a Fitness for Duty examination?
The primary concern in the EAP is the employees well being. A Fitness for Duty examination focuses on the extent to which an employee is able to perform his or her job. Following a Fitness for Duty examination, a written report is submitted to the employer who makes the final decision as to the employees ability to function in the job. An employee is ordered to undergo a Fitness for Duty examination by the agency in order to assess whether some injury, illness, or other condition has impaired the employees ability to perform/retain his or her job. Involvement in the EAP cannot be ordered. In a Fitness for Duty examination, the client is the agency and the examiner is an objective evaluator. In the EAP, the client is the employee, and the counselor is the employees resource.
