NCJ Number
118297
Date Published
1989
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Executive Order 12564 issued in 1986 requires Federal executive branch agencies to establish drug testing programs for employees in sensitive positions, and the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1987 requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue drug testing guidelines and certify agency drug testing plans.
Abstract
In May 1988, HHS officials certified 42 agencies' drug testing plans. The General Accounting Office analyzed 21 of these plans between November 1988 and January 1988 and found that HHS guidelines for Federal drug testing programs specify drugs for which Federal employees may be randomly tested, include chain of custody procedures for assuring the integrity and security of urine specimens, require agency plans to include both initial and confirmatory tests, and require that agencies purchase drug testing services only from laboratories certified by HHS or a private accrediting organization recognized by HHS. All 21 plans adhere in general to the model plan developed by an Interagency Coordinating Group established under the aegis of the National Drug Policy Board, but differ in the testing designated positions (TDP) selected for random testing and in the annual frequency with which TDP employees are tested. Applicant testing, postaccident testing, and followup testing provisions are not uniform, and applicants and employees under some plans are screened for fewer drugs than in other plans. Most agencies plan to test for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and phencyclidine. For the most part, the 21 plans follow the Office of Personnel Management disciplinary action guidance closely by citing a specific list of actions that an agency is authorized to take when a confirmed determination is made that an employee uses illegal drugs. Actions range in severity from a written reprimand to removing the employee from service.