DATIA Urges DOT
to Seek Assistance with
SAP
Certification Approval
DATIA recently issued comments to the Department of
Transportation in support of their proposal to move
their certification approval process for Substance
Abuse Professionals (SAP) to the National Commission
for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
Currently, in order to be an approved SAP under the
DOT drug and alcohol rules, an individual must be a
licensed physician or approved by a DOT approved
certification program. DOT has said that they do not
have the time or the resources to review all the
certification program applicants who want to be
included under the DOT rule and have proposed NCCA
involvement in the approval process.
The NCCA would review all SAP certification program
policies and procedures that want to be included in
the DOT's drug and alcohol regulations. DOT would
continue to review the content of the program. DATIA
believes that the NCCA is uniquely qualified to assist
the DOT in approving SAP certification programs for
inclusion in DOT's drug and alcohol testing and
treatment regulations.
DATIA believes that national standards for SAP
certification programs are critical and that since the
DOT does not have the time or the resources to
"effectively and efficiently examine more than one
petitioning organization at a time" that NCCA should
be utilized to provide a set of national SAP
certification