The RAPEL model offers a structured way to explain earning capacity after an injury or employment disruption. It helps courts, adjusters, and attorneys understand how an individual’s work life may change—without jargon or speculation.
What Is the RAPEL Model?
RAPEL is an acronym often used in vocational evaluations to organize findings:
- Rehabilitation plan: What realistic steps could support a return to work?
- Access: What jobs are realistically open to the person given skills, limits, and geography?
- Placeability: How likely is it that they will actually secure one of those jobs?
- Earnings capacity: What income is reasonably available now and in the future?
- Labor force participation: How consistently can the person be expected to work over time?
The model doesn’t advocate for a side; it’s a way to present the facts and reasoning in a consistent, understandable order.
Why RAPEL Matters in Litigation
- Clarity for the court: RAPEL keeps the narrative straightforward so a judge or jury can follow the evaluation.
- Traceable reasoning: Each letter corresponds to a question the evaluation must answer, which improves transparency.
- Admissibility support: Organizing findings around clearly stated assumptions and publicly available data sources helps testimony withstand scrutiny.
What You’ll Typically See in a RAPEL-Aligned Report
- Background summary: Education, training, work history, and current limitations.
- Transferable skills and job access: Where the person’s existing skills fit in today’s market.
- Placement considerations: Real-world hurdles like physical restrictions, schedule flexibility, or licensing.
- Earnings picture: A reasonable range based on current capacity, not a single speculative number.
- Work-life considerations: Whether full-time, part-time, or intermittent participation is realistic.
Common Misunderstandings to Avoid
- “RAPEL guarantees a result.” It doesn’t. RAPEL organizes evidence; it doesn’t decide the case.
- “RAPEL equals a job search.” Placeability is about likelihood based on credible information, not promises or guarantees.
- “Earnings capacity equals prior salary.” Post-injury earnings often differ from pre-injury wages; RAPEL explains why.
Practical Questions to Ask Your Expert
- Which transferable skills and job families informed the Access opinion?
- What market signals support Placeability (e.g., hiring patterns, credential requirements)?
- How did you bracket Earnings capacity (ranges, sources, and time frames)?
- What assumptions were made about Labor force participation, and why?
When RAPEL Is Especially Useful
- Personal injury and workers’ compensation: To explain changes in earning capacity.
- Employment and family law matters: To clarify realistic job options and income potential.
- Disability claims: To show what level of participation is feasible with documented limitations.
RAPEL helps decision-makers see how a vocational opinion was formed—step by step.
It brings structure, transparency, and plain-language explanations to complex questions about work and income.
For broader context, read What Is a Forensic Expert Evaluation? and What Attorneys Should Know About Vocational Forensic Evaluations. If you’d like to discuss a case, please contact us.
