Confirm why the vocational evaluation was requested and which records it needs. Prepare an accurate account of your actual duties, work history and dated clinical restrictions. Keep questions about the appointment with the request.
A job title leaves out much of a working day. Two people with the same title may use different equipment, spend different amounts of time on their feet or have different responsibility for customers and staff. Preparing for an evaluation starts with describing the work you performed and the questions you have been asked to address.
Confirm the purpose before assembling records
Start with the actual request or notice. Identify who arranged the evaluation and the question the evaluator has been asked to consider. Ask who will receive the report and which records, dates or work periods are requested.
If a court, insurer or benefits program sent the request, have its requirements and any stated deadline reviewed through the appropriate lawyer or program contact. Do not assume every appointment described as a vocational evaluation follows the same process. This guide supplies preparation questions, not a rule about attendance, refusal or disclosure.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes rehabilitation counseling as considering abilities and experience along with skills, education and health. That professional overview explains why background information can matter. It does not establish the scope or credentials of the evaluator in your case.
Prepare a history you can explain
Use the period requested for this evaluation. List the roles you held, dates, usual schedule and any change in duties. Include self-employment where relevant, but keep the work description separate from a calculation of business loss.
Bring the education and training information requested. Identify licenses or certifications accurately, including their current status. A course you attended and an active professional credential are different entries. O*NET’s occupation summaries distinguish tasks, training and related occupational information; those categories can help you identify gaps in your history.
When a date is uncertain, label it as approximate and identify a record that could confirm it. A former schedule, employer document or training certificate may resolve a specific question. Do not fill every blank with a guess.
Our lost-wage records guide covers pay and time records. Keep those documents available if requested without turning this preparation sheet into a second earnings ledger.
Describe the job separately from your present capacity
BLS makes a useful distinction in its occupational physical-demands guidance: the demands describe the job, rather than measuring the worker’s physical capacity. A description of what a role requires does not establish what you can safely do now.
Describe a task in terms another person can understand. Identify the action, equipment and setting, then give the frequency or duration you remember. Explain whether you could change position or needed someone else’s help. Do not try a lift, timed endurance test or other physical task to fill in the worksheet.
Include duties beyond physical exertion. O*NET describes work context as including physical and social factors. Customer conversations, written reports and supervising others may be part of your actual work. Identify the task without diagnosing a cognitive or communication limitation yourself.
Keep dated clinical instructions in their original wording. A personal note can describe what happened at work, while the clinical note records the instruction you received. Include earlier and later versions when restrictions changed. Tasks you continued or resumed also belong in an accurate account.
Make a private job-demand map
This optional worksheet helps separate sources of information. Use another row for a different task or work period. Keep the supporting documents privately and use file references in the sheet.
| Field | What to record | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Role and period | Employer or work setting, role, dates and usual hours. | Which details are confirmed and which are approximate? |
| Actual task | Action, tools, setting and frequency or duration as remembered. | Does this describe your work or a generic job profile? |
| Source | Job description, schedule, personal recollection or another identified record. | Where did the description come from? |
| Dated instruction | Reference to the treating professional’s actual restriction or instruction. | Was it later changed or clarified? |
| Observed change | What you stopped, continued, modified or resumed doing. | What remains a question for the evaluator or clinician? |
A formal job description may omit a duty you regularly performed or include one you rarely did. Note the difference and its basis. If you do not remember an amount or frequency, write that the detail needs confirmation instead of making it look measured.
The map is your account of the work. It is not a government form, a disability score or proof of the amount recoverable in a claim.
Ask about the appointment in advance
Confirm the location or remote format, anticipated duration and the records to bring. Ask what activities or testing are proposed. Explain communication or travel needs and ask how to raise a request for breaks.
Those questions help you prepare; they do not establish a universal right to record the appointment, bring another person or change an examination. If an instruction conflicts with a clinical restriction, raise the specific issue with the treating professional and the person responsible for the request.
Follow the actual instructions for submitting records. Verify the recipient and secure delivery method. Ask about report access or confidentiality through the process that arranged the evaluation rather than assuming it works like an ordinary treatment visit.
Arizona DES vocational rehabilitation has its own purpose
The Arizona Department of Economic Security vocational rehabilitation program helps eligible people with disabilities prepare for, obtain or keep employment. Its eligibility conditions include a disability that makes getting or keeping work difficult, a need for services and the prospect of reaching a job goal with those services. DES makes the program determination.
A private evaluation arranged for an injury claim does not automatically enroll you in DES. The state’s assessment policy applies to applicants and clients progressing through its rehabilitation program. It describes assessments for that employment-service process, not a calculation of civil damages.
If you want to ask about DES services, use the local-office or current referral information on its official page. A referral does not guarantee acceptance, a particular service or a job. Keep that inquiry separate from the instructions for your claim-related evaluation.
Keep corrections visible after the meeting
Record the appointment date, documents you supplied and any follow-up requested. If you later find that a date or task description was wrong, identify the entry and the record supporting the correction. Ask how to provide it through the established channel.
Retain the earlier version and the dated correction. You do not need to defend an uncertain estimate after a schedule or other document resolves it. Keep the next question specific, such as which work period needs additional information or whom to contact about a missing record.
Questions about vocational evaluation preparation
Is this the same as an independent medical examination?
Confirm the scope of the actual request. A work-focused evaluation and a medical examination address different questions, but a particular process may involve several professionals or assessments. Ask what this appointment includes rather than transferring instructions from another kind of examination.
Should I copy an online job description?
Use it as a reminder of possible duties. O*NET provides occupation-level summaries, so describe where your actual work differed. An online profile does not prove your capacity or identify a job vacancy available to you.
What if I returned to work or my restrictions changed?
Include that history and the dated instructions. Describe the tasks and hours you resumed, along with changes in duties or assistance. Leave the effect on a claim to the relevant professional assessment.
What if I cannot remember a physical-demand detail?
Mark it as uncertain and identify a source to check. Do not recreate a risky task to obtain a number. Ask the evaluator how to handle missing information and keep the question with your preparation sheet.
When an injury changes the work you can do
Wood Injury Law can discuss how your work has changed and which questions matter to your Arizona injury claim. You can start with the information you have, including the evaluation request. Ask the team what records to share and how to send them securely.
Talk through my injury and work concernsStart with a free case review.
Or call (480) 937-2116.
Sources checked November 9, 2026. This guide provides organizational preparation, not a vocational finding, medical assessment or statement of requirements for a particular evaluation. Arizona DES services follow their own eligibility and program process.