Department of Transportation Guidelines

Department of Transportation Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued new guidelines for the definition of a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) that are scheduled to go into effect December 31, 2003. You may visit the DOT web site for more information at:

http://www.dot.gov/ost/dapc/testingpubs/sap.pdf

You may purchase the homestudy training course directly from the ASACB for $35.00. The course addresses the nine components covered on the DOT exam.

Under current guidelines, any individual certified at the reciprocal level with an IC & RC member board is qualified and meets the DOT definition for a SAP. As of December 31, 2003, the guidelines specify that an individual must be certified AND must meet additional training and exam requirements that specifically cover the nine required components laid out in Section 281(c) of Part 40. The requirements stipulate that individuals must also pass an exam that comprehensively covers the nine required components and that the exam must be given by a nationally recognized organization.

Please note that the SAP guidelines require an individual to have one of these five credentials:

1. Drug and Alcohol counselor certified by the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors Certification Commission (NAIAD) or by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC & RC);
2. Licensed or certified social worker;
3. Licensed or certified psychologist;
4. Licensed or certified employee assistance professional; or
5. Licensed physician (Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy).

The Arkansas Substance Abuse Certification Board has contracted with the IC & RC to provide an examination that meets the SAP guidelines. The examination will be available for member boards to offer to certified professionals interested in meeting the requirements that will go into place at the end of 2003. The non-refundable exam testing fee is $200.00. You may download the DOT Testing Application from this page. Please note that the guideline change requires BOTH training and an exam to be completed. The DOT guidelines require the training to cover the following nine components (per 49 CFR Part 40).

1. Background, rationale, and coverage of the Department's drug and alcohol testing program;
2. 49 CFR Part 40 and DOT agency drug and alcohol testing rules;
3. Key DOT drug testing requirements, including collections, laboratory testing, MRO review, and problems in drug testing;
4. Key DOT alcohol testing requirements, including the testing process, the role of BATs and STTs, and problems in alcohol tests;
5. SAP qualifications and prohibitions;
6. The role of the SAP in the return-to-duty process, including the initial employee evaluation, referrals for education and/or treatment, the follow-up evaluation, continuing treatment recommendations, and the follow-up testing plan;
7. SAP consultation and communication with employers, MROs, and treatment providers;
8. Reporting and recordkeeping requirements;
9. Issues that SAPs confront in carrying out their duties under the program.

IC & RC member boards represent more than 30,000 professionals who currently meet the definition of a SAP. At the end of 2003, those individuals will not meet the requirements outlined in the definition unless the completion of the additional training and exam are documented.