Your fundamental responsibility is to provide a
comprehensive face- to-face assessment and clinical evaluation to determine what level of assistance employees who fail a substance use test need to resolve issues associated with alcohol use or other drug abuse.
Within each successive three (3)-year period after you have passed the exam, you must complete a minimum of 12 professional development hours (i.e., Continuing Education Units) relevant to your SAP duties. This ongoing educa- tion must include training in material about new technologies, interpretations, recent guidance, rule changes, and other information relevant to developments in SAP practice and the DOT program since the time you either received your initial certification or met the last set of training requirements. You also have to prove that you have used documentable assessment tools to help determine that you have learned the material adequately. (For more information about the CEUs, visit
http://www.saplist.com/saplist_u/ index.php.) When requested by DOT agency rep-
resentatives, potential employers, and/ or C/TPAs either using or considering using your services, you are required to provide official documentation that you currently meet all training requirements.
What does a SAP do? So, aſter all this training, what do you do
as a SAP? Your fundamental responsibility is to provide a comprehensive face-to- face assessment and clinical evaluation to determine what level of assistance employ- ees who fail a substance use test need to resolve issues associated with alcohol use or other drug abuse. You will recommend education and/or treatment during which the employee must demonstrate successful compliance before he or she can return to DOT safety-sensitive duties. You develop and implement a follow-
up testing plan for the employee re- turning to work following successful compliance. In addition to individual counseling or therapy, a SAP should have ample knowledge of quality programs as well as self-groups. The plan also includes a minimum of six (6) tests in
48 datia focus
the first 12 months following the client’s return to safety-sensitive duties. These testing requirements are in addition to any other type of testing that might be required like random, post-accident or reasonable suspicion of reoccurrence. All of the follow-up testing must be collected during direct observation sessions. Your job will include:
• Initial employee evaluation in a face- to-face interview;
• Referral for education and/or treat- ment;
• Recommendation for continuing treat- ment;
• A minimum of two (2) face-to-face therapy sessions;
• A minimum of six (6) follow-up test- ing sessions;
• SAP consultation and communication with employers, MROs, and treatment providers; and
• Reporting and recording requirements. Your initial evaluation is critical
because DOT precludes employees from seeking a second SAP evaluation and employers from considering that evalu- ation if it’s presented. If you fail to make a recommendation, the employee can’t return to work until an appropriate evalu- ation has been done. Before the employee may return to
safety-sensitive duties, a face-to-face follow-up evaluation is required to deter- mine if the employee has demonstrated successful compliance with treatment recommendations made during your initial assessment process. Based on your clinical assessment and
judgment that the client has demonstrat- ed a level of compliance that warrants a return to work, you must provide written documentation to the employer on your official letterhead that details any and all continuing care recommendations as well as the follow-up testing plan. Again, your failure to perform required Return- to-Duty (RTD) tests may affect the
spring 2012
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