What is a Vocational Expert in Arizona Work Comp Claim?

Any time an injured worker in Arizona is trying to prove that he or she has lost earning capacity as a result of their industrial injury, it is usually necessary to hire a vocational expert, otherwise known as a labor market expert or consultant (VE, LMC).  This is a person who is trained to know the physical and vocational requirements of every job in a specific labor market.  The LMC is then given the vocational profile and work restrictions of the injured worker, and they then identify jobs that exist in significant numbers in the labor market where the injured worker lives, that they should be able to do even with their permanent restrictions. 

In cases where the Loss of Earning Capacity (LEC) is disputed, the applicant and the insurance carrier both usually retain their own LMC's.  The LMC's give testimony at a hearing trying to convince the judge that their opinion as to the injured worker's employability is more probably correct. 

Labor market experts are a very important part of obtaining permanent benefits and are usually well worth the investment of $400-1,000 that they cost.  For more information, see our website at Snow, Carpio, and Weekley.


Snow, Carpio, and Weekely are attorneys who have represented thousands of injured workers in Arizona since 2000.  They have offices in Phoenix and Tucson Arizona.