CDMS (The Commission CCM & CDMS Exams) key terms

A change to the job, work environment, or the way tasks are performed that lets a qualified person with a disability apply, perform essential functions, and enjoy equal benefits of employment, without imposing undue hardship on the employer.

The fundamental job duties an individual was hired to perform. They exclude marginal tasks and are identified through job descriptions, employer judgment, work experience of incumbents, and the time spent on each duty.

The ongoing, good-faith exchange between employer and employee to identify barriers and agree on an effective accommodation. Both parties must share information, consider options, and document the dialogue rather than impose a solution unilaterally.

A significant difficulty or expense that makes an accommodation unreasonable. It is judged case by case, weighing the employer's size, resources, and structure, the nature of the operation, and the impact on the workplace.

A significant risk of substantial harm to the individual or others that cannot be reduced by reasonable accommodation. It must rest on current objective medical or other evidence, not on generalized assumptions or stereotypes.

A person who satisfies the skill, experience, education, and other job requirements and can perform the essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. This is the threshold test for protection.

A structured, task-level description of the postures, forces, movements, weights, and environmental conditions a job requires. It supports return-to-work matching, accommodation design, and defensible job descriptions.

A standardized battery of performance-based tests that measures a person's current physical tolerances, such as lifting, carrying, standing, and gripping. Results are compared with job demands to judge work readiness and set restrictions.

Written limits a treating clinician places on a worker's activities, such as maximum lift, hours, or prohibited motions. They guide temporary modified duty and must be reviewed and updated as recovery progresses.

Temporary or permanent assignment of altered tasks, reduced hours, or equipment so an employee can keep working within medical restrictions. It preserves income and work attachment while recovery continues.

Time-limited productive assignments, often drawn from real business needs, that bridge an injured worker from rehabilitation back to the original or a new job. It is structured with defined goals and an expected end date.

A written, coordinated schedule of steps, supports, and target dates that moves an absent employee back into productive work. It names responsibilities, restrictions, and review points for the worker, supervisor, clinician, and case manager.

A collaborative process that assesses, plans, coordinates, and monitors services to meet a person's health and vocational needs. It aims for cost-effective outcomes, continuity of care, and timely return to function.

Deliberate organization of activities among providers, employers, and payers so care is delivered efficiently and without duplication. It clarifies who does what, shares information, and closes gaps between treatment and work.

A group of professionals from different disciplines, such as medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, and vocational services, who jointly plan and review a person's program. Shared goals and communication prevent conflicting advice.

A medical assessment of whether an employee can safely perform the essential functions of a position, often after injury, illness, or a safety concern. It should be job-related, consistent with business necessity, and limited in scope.

An evaluation by a physician who has not been treating the worker, arranged to resolve questions about diagnosis, causation, maximum medical improvement, or work capacity. Findings may be used in benefit and return-to-work decisions.

The point at which a condition has stabilized and further treatment is not expected to produce meaningful functional change. It commonly triggers impairment rating, permanent disability determination, and vocational planning.

A numeric or descriptive measure of permanent loss of body function, assigned using a recognized classification guide after maximum medical improvement. It is a medical finding, not by itself a measure of work disability.

A lasting work-related impairment that limits function but does not eliminate all earning capacity. Benefits are set by statute and may consider impairment, wage loss, age, education, and transferable skills.

A structured method of identifying abilities gained in past work, education, and hobbies that can meet the requirements of a different occupation. It supports vocational rehabilitation planning and wage-loss analysis.

A goal-directed service that helps a person with a disability prepare for, obtain, retain, or regain suitable employment. It may include counseling, retraining, job placement, and assistive technology.

The process of matching a worker to suitable work through job development, employer contact, and support during onboarding. Success depends on fit between the person's abilities, the job demands, and the work environment.

Systematic collection of information about a position's duties, tasks, tools, working conditions, and worker requirements. It underpins accommodation decisions, job descriptions, and comparisons between occupations.

A study of available jobs in a defined geographic area that fit a worker's restrictions, skills, and wage expectations. It documents earning capacity and supports vocational and benefit decisions.

A comparison of pre-injury earnings with post-injury earning capacity, considering restrictions, labor market conditions, and available suitable work. It is used to quantify residual disability and benefit entitlement.

A coordinated, employer-based approach that prevents avoidable disability, reduces its duration and cost, and helps workers stay at or return to work. It links health care, benefits, workplace practice, and safety.

Combining short-term disability, long-term disability, workers' compensation, and health programs under one coordinated framework. Shared data and a single case manager reduce duplication and conflicting messages to the employee.

Policies and practices that track, verify, and reduce employee absence while supporting attendance. Effective programs distinguish legitimate leave from misuse and coordinate with disability and accommodation processes.

Proactive practices that keep an employee on the job during treatment or recovery through flexible scheduling, ergonomic change, or reduced duties. It aims to prevent the absence and disability that follow work loss.

Designing work, tools, and environments to fit human capabilities and reduce strain. In disability management it is a primary preventive and accommodative tool for musculoskeletal and repetitive-motion conditions.

Devices, software, or equipment that maintain or improve a person's functional capacity at work, such as screen readers, lifts, or amplified headsets. Selection requires matching the tool to the task and the user.

The duty to limit collection and disclosure of personal health information to those with a legitimate need to know. It governs medical records, accommodation discussions, and communication with supervisors.

Legal and ethical rules controlling how medical data are collected, stored, used, and shared. In disability management, records must be kept separate from personnel files and released only as permitted.

Voluntary agreement to an assessment, treatment, or release of information after the person receives and understands the purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives. It can be withdrawn and must be documented.

An approach that treats health and disability as the product of interacting biological, psychological, and social factors. It explains why identical injuries produce different recovery and return-to-work outcomes.

Beliefs, emotions, workplace relationships, and social circumstances that influence recovery and work resumption, such as fear of re-injury, low supervisor support, or job dissatisfaction. They are assessed and addressed alongside physical factors.

Being physically at work while illness, pain, or distraction reduces productivity and raises error risk. It is a hidden cost of health problems and a signal that accommodation or treatment is needed.

Unscheduled time away from work for health or other reasons, measured in days or episodes. Patterns of absence are analyzed to target support, safety fixes, and disability prevention efforts.