How much time does an FCA actually take?
It's one of the first things people ask — partly out of practicality, partly because a streamlined, capped-fee assessment can raise the worry that it might be rushed. So here's the honest answer, both in time and in substance.
What the process looks like in time
You complete the intake forms and gather any background documents — done whenever suits you, with help from a support person if you'd like.
A structured conversation via telehealth, walking through your day-to-day life. It can be slowed down or broken up if needed.
Scoring the standardised tools, reviewing your documents, and writing the report with full clinical reasoning.
A streamlined FCA usually comes to around five hours of work in total. More complex cases can take longer.
Once the interview is done and the information is gathered, the finished report is delivered within two weeks.
Why a streamlined FCA is usually around five hours
The five-hour figure isn't a shortcut — it's what a focused assessment takes when the groundwork is done well. When intake forms and background documents are prepared by the participant or their supports, the OT can spend their time on what matters: understanding your functioning and reasoning it into a report, rather than chasing missing information. Where more assistance is needed, the assessment can take longer — and we'll talk that through with you upfront.
Preparation is the single biggest factor in how long an FCA takes. The more complete your documents and forms, the more focused the assessment — and the more the time goes into the parts that actually shape your report.
A report should be as long as it needs to be
There's a related question hiding in here: how long should the report itself be? The honest answer is that length isn't the measure of quality. A good FCA is thorough — it covers every relevant domain, links each functional difficulty to its impact and the support that follows, and leaves a planner with what they need. That can be done clearly and efficiently. A longer report isn't automatically a better one; a padded report can actually bury the evidence that matters.
An FCA should be as long as it needs to be to make the case clearly — no shorter, and no padding.— Nisha Bal, Seeds OT
What doesn't change, however long it takes
Whatever the hours, the standard is the same. The same validated tools, the same domains of daily life, the same senior review — every report reasoned and signed off by Nisha Bal. A shorter assessment isn't a lighter one; it just means the preparation let us work efficiently without cutting anything that matters.
Frequently asked
Usually around 60 minutes via telehealth. If it becomes tiring or emotionally difficult, we can slow down, take a break, or return to something later — the assessment is designed to work around you.
The finished report is delivered within two weeks, once the interview is complete and the necessary information has been gathered.
A streamlined process and good preparation let us focus the time where it counts. When intake forms and documents are ready, the OT spends their hours on understanding and reasoning rather than chasing information. Where a situation is more complex and more assistance is needed, the assessment takes longer, and we'll discuss that with you.
No. Thoroughness, not length, is the measure. A good report covers every relevant domain and links each difficulty to the support it implies — clearly and without padding. Extra pages don't make a stronger case; clear, well-reasoned evidence does.