Importance of Transferability of Skills Analysis in The Personal injury Cases

Vocational experts follow a specific process to determine an injured plaintiff’s employability. Throughout a personal injury case, there are specific stages of investigation. A vocational expert will evaluate medical records and psychological records to decipher medical restrictions and physical capacities. One of the most important things a vocational expert will assess is the transferability of the injured plaintiff’s skills.

After reviewing an injured plaintiff’s records, a vocational expert will interview the plaintiff. In this stage, data regarding the plaintiff’s educational background, past and present work experiences and personal history, as well as an analysis of transferable work skills would be recorded. Transferable skills are the skills brought to any other job the plaintiff is capable of performing.   The vocational experts use the state of the art computer program to do a transferable skills analysis.

A transferability of skills analysis uncovers pertinent vocational information such as the plaintiff’s aptitudes such as verbal ability, perceptual speed and accuracy, manual dexterity, math ability and spatial relations. This information portrays the injured party’s current functioning level and paints a picture of how the plaintiff might function in the workplace.

This analysis allows a vocational expert to then research both national and local employment opportunities that would be a fit for the plaintiff, based on the mix of skills he retains after the injury.  A vocational expert’s conclusion after a transferability of skills analysis and a reflection on the labor market may be that new employment is not appropriate or possible, and a plaintiff is due damages to compensate for their inability to work.

Not only can such analysis be helpful in Personal Injury cases buy the results of a transferability of skills analysis are also useful in disability claim hearings to counter the testimony of a vocational expert called by a Social Security Administration Administrative Law Judge.

Occupational Assessment Services has been performing transferability of skills analyses for over forty years. Please contact us  at 800-292-1919 to learn how we can effectively apply this critical breakdown to your client’s case and help determine an injured plaintiff’s damages.