On September 14, 2016, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be a guest speaker at the Substance Abuse Program Administrators’ Association annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky. This is a non-profit trade association that includes laboratories, collection sites, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, third-party administrators, and regulated employers. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will be an update to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
On September 9-10, 2016, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide an overview presentation and training in Orlando, FL for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will focus on regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results for safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry.
On May 13-15, 2016, a Senior Policy Advisor from the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide an overview presentation and training for Medical Review Officers in Chicago, Illinois, for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will focus on the role of Medical Review Officers, who must be licensed physicians. In addition, the regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results for safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry will be covered in the presentation by our staff. We will address areas of potential noncompliance that we have experienced with other Medical Review Officers to assist in avoiding similar violations in the future.
On April 26-29, 2016, the Acting Director will be a guest speaker a the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association's (DATIA) Annual National Conference in Las Vegas, NV. DATIA is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of laboratories, collection sites, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, third-party administrators, and regulated employers. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will include updates to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
On March 23-24, 2016, the Acting Director and a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be guest speakers at the Federal Transit Administration’s Annual Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference in Sacramento, California. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will be an update to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
On January 27, 2016 - the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a decision and order under the Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs that excludes a service agent, Mounir R. Khouri, from providing drug and alcohol testing services in any capacity to any DOT-regulated employer for a period of 5 years. Mr. Khouri provided Consortium/Third Party Administrator Services (C/TPA) and Medical Review Officer (MRO) services to DOT-regulated trucking companies. Mr. Khouri pled guilty to criminal charges that he made materially false statements that an MRO had reviewed drug test results, when a qualified MRO had not done so. This Federal Register publication serves as notice to the public that DOT-regulated employers or their service agents must stop using the services of Mounir R. Khouri for administering their DOT-regulated drug and/or alcohol testing programs. Visit the PIE web page.
On December 24,2015, the FMCSA announces, pursuant to 49 CFR 382.305, that it is reducing the minimum annual percentage rate for random controlled substances testing for drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) requiring a commercial driver's license (CDL) from the current rate of 50 percent of the average number of driver positions to 25 percent of the average number of driver positions, effective in calendar year 2016.
On September 25, 2015, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be a guest speaker at the Substance Abuse Program Administrators’ Association annual conference in Houston, Texas. This is a non-profit trade association that includes laboratories, collection sites, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, third-party administrators, and regulated employers. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will be updates to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
On September 12, 2015, the Acting Director for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide training in Washington, DC, for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will provide education on regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results of safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry. The training will also provide education on areas of potential noncompliance that ODAPC has experienced with other Medical Review Officers to assist in avoiding similar violations in the future.
On August 18, 2015, The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a decision and order under the Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs that excludes a service agent, Elizabeth ‘‘Betsy’’ Pope d/b/a Eastgate Laboratory Testing, from providing drug and alcohol testing services in any capacity to any DOT regulated employer for a period of 5 years. Ms. Pope and her company provided Medical Review Officer services to DOT-regulated trucking companies when Ms. Pope was not qualified to act as a Medical Review Officer. Read the Federal Register notice on the Public Interest Exclusion.
On June 3, 2015, the Acting Director will be a guest speaker a the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association's (DATIA) Annual National Conference in Miami, FL. DATIA is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of laboratories, collection sites, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, third-party administrators, and regulated employers. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will include updates to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
On April 28-30, 2015, the Acting Director and a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be guest speakers at the Federal Transit Administration’s Annual Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will be an update to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
On December 12-14, 2014, the Acting Director for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide an overview presentation and training in Las Vegas, NV, for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will focus on regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results for safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry. The training will also provide education on areas of potential noncompliance that ODAPC has experienced with other Medical Review Officers to assist in avoiding similar violations in the future.
- On September 26-28, 2014, a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide training in Washington, DC, for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will provide education on regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results of safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry. The training will also provide education on areas of potential noncompliance that ODAPC has experienced with other Medical Review Officers to assist in avoiding similar violations in the future.
- On September 25, 2014, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be a guest speaker at the Substance Abuse Program Administrators’ Association annual conference in Richmond, Virginia. This is a non-profit trade association that includes laboratories, collection sites, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, third-party administrators, and regulated employers. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will be updates to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
- On August 21, 2014, and September 12-13, 2014, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be a presenter at a conference for state, local and municipal employers who follow the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug and alcohol testing program. The conference “Responsibilities, Risks & Realities for Government Employers - Medical and Drug Program Management” is being sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
- On December 12-14, 2014, the Acting Director for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide an overview presentation and training in Las Vegas, NV, for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will focus on regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results for safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry. The training will also provide education on areas of potential noncompliance that ODAPC has experienced with other Medical Review Officers to assist in avoiding similar violations in the future.
- On September 26-28, 2014, a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will provide training in Washington, DC, for the American Association of Medical Review Officers. The training will provide education on regulatory requirements and best practices for reviewing and verifying drug test results of safety sensitive employees in the transportation industry. The training will also provide education on areas of potential noncompliance that ODAPC has experienced with other Medical Review Officers to assist in avoiding similar violations in the future.
- On September 25, 2014, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be a guest speaker at the Substance Abuse Program Administrators’ Association annual conference in Richmond, Virginia. This is a non-profit trade association that includes laboratories, collection sites, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, third-party administrators, and regulated employers. Topics that will be discussed at the conference will be updates to the DOT’s regulated drug and alcohol testing efforts.
- On August 21, 2014, and September 12-13, 2014, the Acting Director of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance will be a presenter at a conference for state, local and municipal employers who follow the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug and alcohol testing program. The conference “Responsibilities, Risks & Realities for Government Employers - Medical and Drug Program Management” is being sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
July 28, 2014, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register. In it the FRA is proposing to expand the scope of its alcohol and drug regulations to cover employees who perform maintenance-of-way (MOW) activities as mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA). In addition, FRA is proposing certain substantive amendments that either respond to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations or update and clarify the alcohol and drug regulations based on a retrospective regulatory review (RRR) analysis.
Comments to the NPRM can be posted on the docket [No. FRA-2009-0039] and are due on or before September 26, 2014. View the NPRM print copy here.
December 2013 - Presidential Proclamation: National Impaired Driving Prevention Month