CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
CDMS - CERTIFIED DISABILITY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST |
VERIFIED EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST
VERSION 2026/2027
CERTIFIED DISABILITY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (CDMS)
1. Best practice after a reported lost-time injury includes prompt three-
point contact, which refers to early communication with the:
A. Employee, employer, and treating provider
B. Supervisor, coworkers, and family
C. Employee, attorney, and union
D. Insurer, broker, and state agency
A. Employee, employer, and treating provider
Early three-point contact aligns the employee, employer, and provider
around recovery and return-to-work expectations.
Page 1 of 67
, CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
2. Which outcome best reflects the primary purpose of disability case
management?
A. Facilitating a safe and timely return to function and work while
coordinating appropriate resources
B. Ensuring the employee exhausts all available leave before returning
C. Transferring responsibility for recovery entirely to the treating
physician
D. Reducing the employer's legal exposure by limiting contact with the
employee
A. Facilitating a safe and timely return to function and work while
coordinating appropriate resources
Disability case management centers on restoring function and a safe,
timely return to work through coordinated care and resources.
3. A disability management specialist receives a new referral. Which
activity normally begins the case management process?
A. Closing the file once benefits are approved
B. Screening to determine whether the individual would benefit from case
management
C. Negotiating a settlement with the insurer
D. Developing the return-to-work plan
B. Screening to determine whether the individual would benefit from
case management
Screening identifies whether case management is appropriate before a
full assessment and plan are developed.
4. Why is early intervention emphasized after the onset of a work-
limiting condition?
A. Medical records are not available after the first month
B. The likelihood of returning to work declines as the length of absence
increases
C. Benefits cannot be paid unless contact occurs within 24 hours
D. Early contact allows the employer to deny the claim more quickly
B. The likelihood of returning to work declines as the length of
absence increases
Research consistently shows that the probability of returning to work
falls the longer an employee remains off work.
Page 2 of 67
, CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
5. The model that views disability as the result of interaction among
biological, psychological, and social factors is the:
A. Charity model
B. Biomedical model
C. Biopsychosocial model
D. Moral model
C. Biopsychosocial model
The biopsychosocial model recognizes that recovery and work disability
are shaped by physical, psychological, and social influences together.
6. In low back pain management, psychosocial factors that predict
delayed recovery and chronic disability are commonly referred to as:
A. Black flags
B. Yellow flags
C. Red flags
D. Blue flags
B. Yellow flags
Yellow flags are psychosocial risk factors such as fear, low expectations of
recovery, and depressed mood that predict prolonged disability.
7. A worker with back pain reports new saddle anesthesia and
difficulty controlling the bladder. The case manager should recognize
this as:
A. Evidence of symptom magnification
B. A yellow flag that can be addressed through education
C. A red flag requiring urgent medical evaluation
D. A typical symptom of muscle strain
C. A red flag requiring urgent medical evaluation
Saddle anesthesia and bladder dysfunction suggest cauda equina
syndrome, a red flag that needs immediate medical attention.
Page 3 of 67
, CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
8. An injured employee avoids all bending because he believes any
movement will cause permanent damage. This pattern is best described
as:
A. Fear-avoidance behavior
B. Learned optimism
C. Malingering
D. Secondary gain
A. Fear-avoidance behavior
Fear-avoidance occurs when a person avoids activity due to fear of pain
or reinjury, which often prolongs disability.
9. Pain catastrophizing is characterized by:
A. Intentional exaggeration of symptoms for financial gain
B. Rumination, magnification, and helplessness regarding pain
C. An accurate appraisal of tissue damage
D. Indifference to pain sensations
B. Rumination, magnification, and helplessness regarding pain
Catastrophizing involves an exaggerated negative mental set toward pain
and is linked to poorer recovery outcomes.
10. Which communication approach uses open questions, affirmations,
reflective listening, and summaries to strengthen a person's own
motivation for change?
A. Critical incident debriefing
B. Directive confrontation
C. Motivational interviewing
D. Didactic instruction
C. Motivational interviewing
Motivational interviewing relies on the OARS skills to help individuals
resolve ambivalence and commit to change.
Page 4 of 67
CDMS - CERTIFIED DISABILITY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST |
VERIFIED EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST
VERSION 2026/2027
CERTIFIED DISABILITY MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (CDMS)
1. Best practice after a reported lost-time injury includes prompt three-
point contact, which refers to early communication with the:
A. Employee, employer, and treating provider
B. Supervisor, coworkers, and family
C. Employee, attorney, and union
D. Insurer, broker, and state agency
A. Employee, employer, and treating provider
Early three-point contact aligns the employee, employer, and provider
around recovery and return-to-work expectations.
Page 1 of 67
, CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
2. Which outcome best reflects the primary purpose of disability case
management?
A. Facilitating a safe and timely return to function and work while
coordinating appropriate resources
B. Ensuring the employee exhausts all available leave before returning
C. Transferring responsibility for recovery entirely to the treating
physician
D. Reducing the employer's legal exposure by limiting contact with the
employee
A. Facilitating a safe and timely return to function and work while
coordinating appropriate resources
Disability case management centers on restoring function and a safe,
timely return to work through coordinated care and resources.
3. A disability management specialist receives a new referral. Which
activity normally begins the case management process?
A. Closing the file once benefits are approved
B. Screening to determine whether the individual would benefit from case
management
C. Negotiating a settlement with the insurer
D. Developing the return-to-work plan
B. Screening to determine whether the individual would benefit from
case management
Screening identifies whether case management is appropriate before a
full assessment and plan are developed.
4. Why is early intervention emphasized after the onset of a work-
limiting condition?
A. Medical records are not available after the first month
B. The likelihood of returning to work declines as the length of absence
increases
C. Benefits cannot be paid unless contact occurs within 24 hours
D. Early contact allows the employer to deny the claim more quickly
B. The likelihood of returning to work declines as the length of
absence increases
Research consistently shows that the probability of returning to work
falls the longer an employee remains off work.
Page 2 of 67
, CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
5. The model that views disability as the result of interaction among
biological, psychological, and social factors is the:
A. Charity model
B. Biomedical model
C. Biopsychosocial model
D. Moral model
C. Biopsychosocial model
The biopsychosocial model recognizes that recovery and work disability
are shaped by physical, psychological, and social influences together.
6. In low back pain management, psychosocial factors that predict
delayed recovery and chronic disability are commonly referred to as:
A. Black flags
B. Yellow flags
C. Red flags
D. Blue flags
B. Yellow flags
Yellow flags are psychosocial risk factors such as fear, low expectations of
recovery, and depressed mood that predict prolonged disability.
7. A worker with back pain reports new saddle anesthesia and
difficulty controlling the bladder. The case manager should recognize
this as:
A. Evidence of symptom magnification
B. A yellow flag that can be addressed through education
C. A red flag requiring urgent medical evaluation
D. A typical symptom of muscle strain
C. A red flag requiring urgent medical evaluation
Saddle anesthesia and bladder dysfunction suggest cauda equina
syndrome, a red flag that needs immediate medical attention.
Page 3 of 67
, CDMS – Certified Disability Management Specialist Practice
8. An injured employee avoids all bending because he believes any
movement will cause permanent damage. This pattern is best described
as:
A. Fear-avoidance behavior
B. Learned optimism
C. Malingering
D. Secondary gain
A. Fear-avoidance behavior
Fear-avoidance occurs when a person avoids activity due to fear of pain
or reinjury, which often prolongs disability.
9. Pain catastrophizing is characterized by:
A. Intentional exaggeration of symptoms for financial gain
B. Rumination, magnification, and helplessness regarding pain
C. An accurate appraisal of tissue damage
D. Indifference to pain sensations
B. Rumination, magnification, and helplessness regarding pain
Catastrophizing involves an exaggerated negative mental set toward pain
and is linked to poorer recovery outcomes.
10. Which communication approach uses open questions, affirmations,
reflective listening, and summaries to strengthen a person's own
motivation for change?
A. Critical incident debriefing
B. Directive confrontation
C. Motivational interviewing
D. Didactic instruction
C. Motivational interviewing
Motivational interviewing relies on the OARS skills to help individuals
resolve ambivalence and commit to change.
Page 4 of 67
