Why is my employer sending me for a medical exam before letting me work or come back? Usually, it means the employer wants a doctor or other qualified evaluator to decide whether you can safely perform your job, with or without reasonable accommodation, and whether doing the work would create a serious safety risk. A fitness-for-duty exam is not supposed to be a fishing trip into your whole medical history. It is generally meant to be job-related and limited to the health issue that affects your ability to do the work.

Practically, the first move is simple: get the exam notice in writing, ask what job duties are being evaluated, and find out who gets the report. Keep copies of every restriction note, work status form, and email. If you were hurt on the job or in a crash and are trying to return to work, the exam can affect pay, leave, and whether the employer says you can come back at all. It may also overlap with a workers' compensation claim, disability discrimination issues, or retaliation concerns.

In Massachusetts, employers still have to follow anti-discrimination rules under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B and federal ADA rules. If the exam goes beyond what your job actually requires, or the employer ignores medical restrictions after a nor'easter shutdown or other disruption, that can matter in an injury claim, a lost-wages claim, or a workplace-rights case.