CERTIFICATION OPERATIONS

Substance Abuse Professional

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The Department Of Transportation (DOT) has released the new Substance Abuse Professional Guidelines (SAP). These guidelines cover over 7 million transportation safety-sensitive positions such as: airline pilots, school bus drivers, shipping boat captains, and tractor trailer drivers. The regulations require that any safety-sensitive individual who refuses a test, tests positive for drugs or has a breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater must be immediately removed from duty and referred to a SAP. Currently, all Certified Addiction Professionals (CAP) who have taken the oral exam, meet the definition of SAP because of the Florida Certification Board’s membership in the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium. The definition of a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is as follows: a SAP is “a licensed physician” (Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathy); or a licensed or certified psychologist; or a licensed or certified social worker; or a state-licensed or certified marriage & family therapist; or a licensed or certified employee assistance professional; or an addiction counselor (certified either by the Florida Certification Board as a CAC having completed both the international and oral exams or a CAP having completed the oral exam or the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors Certification Commission; or by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates/Master Addictions Counselor; or by the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse).

The change in the requirement is that all SAPs be knowledgeable and remain current with the DOT Substance Abuse Professional Guidelines. To this end, the US Department of Transportation is requiring that all existing SAP’s receive qualified training, and complete the SAP training before December 31, 2003. Following the completion of the SAP training you must satisfactorily complete an examination.  All SAPs need a refresher course every 3-years to be able to act as a Substance Abuse Professional.

As a Certified Addiction Professional (CAP) having completed the oral exam or a Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) having completed BOTH the international and oral exams, you are eligible to provide drug and alcohol evaluations with the completion of a 12-hour homestudy course, as well as passing the SAP written exam.  The fee for the homestudy is $75 and the SAP exam is available for $100.

DOT regulations require that all SAP's renew their qualifications every three (3) years.  SAP's who do not re-qualify are not legally eligible to practice as a SAP.  It is the responsibility of each individual to maintain their qualification.  The FCB does NOT send out reminder notifications.

In order to meet the needs of the certified population the Florida Certification Board has developed a 12-hour home study course that will satisfy the SAP training requirements. The course “The Substance Abuse Professional Guidelines, as required by the US DOT” will give you knowledge of the SAP’s core competencies and what you need to know to be an effective Substance Abuse Professional. The training is only one part of the new requirement; the other is the exam.

The Substance Abuse Professional Written Examination measures proficiency in the following areas:

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