Tag: San Jose

Too much of everything is bad. So is the case with so-called leisure drugs. SAP (Substance Abuse Professional) is required to conduct evaluations by DOT (Department of Transportation) for all the employees working in the safety-sensitive positions. The regulations are updated by DOT itself. Hereby, all the individuals holding the commercial driving license (CDL) are required to get themselves tested for:

1. Pre-employment,
2. Post-accident, 
3. In presence of reasonable suspicion, and
4. Drug and Alcohol tests under Return-to-duty (RTD)

This is a legitimate process ordered by DOT.

The purpose of SAP evaluation is to make sure that employees in case-sensitive duties remain mentally and physically fit on/off the job. Any individual who tests positive for drug and alcohol abuse is referred to SAP for evaluation. He can only return to his duty after going through the (RTD-Return To Duty) process as specified by DOT against the violence committed in terms of Drug and Alcohol abuse. 

SAP himself is a user in the clearinghouse who is also required to register himself for conducting evaluations.

If you face the same situation, you can fix your appointment as soon as possible to qualify the RTD process and re-join your position.

SAP evaluation involves the following stages:

• Clinical interview 

This stage helps SAP in finding the presence of a problem with the person under evaluation. It leads with a simple yes or no, directing the presence or absence of underlying issues with a person’s behavior or habit. 

• Assessment: 

Once the problem has been diagnosed, it is followed by a deep understanding of the nature of the patient’s problem, followed by the treatment suggestion for handling his violent nature or drug abuse.

The follow-up SAP Evaluation:

SAP determines the positive completion of the patient’s treatment under him. On the completion of the whole process, he has to issue

1. Notice with a “Notice of Compliance,” or a “Notice of Noncompliance,” depending upon the employee’s performance throughout the treatment program under him.
2. Additional educational classes or treatment (if needed) along with post-care suggestions, if deemed necessary.
3. Final written report to DER (Designated Employer Representative)

If you know someone who needs immediate assistance, feel free to contact American Alternative Court Services. Our services have a proven record of helping individuals with a comprehensive, and personalized assessment and directing them towards living healthy lives. 

The government has decided to mandate a program for those convicted of the offense of driving under the influence. You can get it here in our DUI School – Risk Reduction Program – RRP. Once you complete the program, a certification will be issued to you over your performance.

The program is mandated in the cases of driving under the influence of the prohibited substance, driving with possession of an illegal substance, or possessing substance by an underage while operating the vehicle.

The main motive of keeping the program mandatory is to reduce the chances of the same offenses, keep an eye on the safety of the public, and ensure the health of the individual and their addiction from prohibited substance usage is also recovered.

After taking the risk reduction program, it is also evident that many individuals have benefitted from their addiction and impacting substance abuse. Certified professionals make the program to assess the candidates with utmost care.

Stages At-Risk Reduction Program

1. Assessment Stage
2. Intervention Component Stage

In the early stage of the program, the candidate is assessed on their usage of the alcohol and drug impacts and their behaviors. Later in the same stage, a comprehensive questionnaire is made to assess the candidate’s history of substance usage, triggers, and disorders (if any).

The questionnaire comprises 130 questions; make sure you answer the questions with honesty. Violation of the test advised by the law can also lead you to severe punishments. Moreover, these tests can help you cope up with your addictions, too, stay honest with them.

Then, after completion of the questionnaire comes the second stage. The intervention stage can take up to 20 hours, depending on the prescribed time by your professional. But, don’t worry; you don’t have to sit for 20 hours straight. The session is covered by taking several days.

It is not a tough task; it is more like a therapeutic and counselling session. In the session, the educational values and risks of driving under the influence will be elaborated. Your curriculum can vary up to your risk level and your addiction severity, it helps you with coping up with the trigger too.

The clearinghouse has been introduced as the secured online database to maintain records about the CDL(Commercial Driving Licence) drivers’ who are covered by FMCSA’s drug and alcohol program. This also includes drivers with commercial learner’s permits (CLPs).

DOT has made the clearinghouse SAP evaluation mandatory for the employees who test positive for drug or alcohol abuse. SAP is the user in the Clearinghouse who is also required to register himself on the clearinghouse. As soon as the driver is found positive he must register on the FMCSA Clearinghouse and contact SAP professional. The list of the qualified DOT SAPs may be provided by your employer so that you can fix your appointment as soon as to complete the return-to-duty process.

EVALUATION PROCESS

• The driver registers himself on the clearinghouse where the employer then, enters the violation record on the driver’s name.
• The driver receives a notification in the form of e-mail or text that information has been entered on his record.
• The driver can now access the list of qualified SAPs and choose one which he wishes to.
• Similarly, SAP receives the push-up notification from the clearinghouse mentioning the driver’s name in the form of his connection request.
• The SAP clicks on “Accept Request” or “Deny Request” following which he can see the driver’s records if he accepts the request.
• On the initial assessment, SAP intimates the driver about his treatment recommendation and also enters the date of the final assessment meeting.
• SAP, after determining that the driver has successfully complied with the treatment, enters the date of the demonstration which serves as the means for the employer who then, orders the conduct of Return to Duty test.

The result of the RTD test must be negative to get back on your duty else, you have to undergo the treatment procedure again (education or treatment) as suggested by SAP.

To help the addicts in recovering from addiction problem, virtual alcohol and drug evaluation is done by AACS. This counseling and assessment is important for the individuals who want to get back to work after successfully completing the evaluation.

When a person has charges of substance abuse against them, the court orders them to get the evaluation done. Online alcohol and drug evaluation provides the convenience of getting the consultation and assessments done by staying at home.

The evaluation process has four stages: screening, assessment, follow-up and referral. American Alternative Court Services specialises in alcohol and drug evaluation. There is a team of doctors, counselors and social workers who have been providing help to people in overcoming the habit of drug and alcohol consumption. The rehab service is very helpful for local criminal justice system.
First step of virtual alcohol and drug evaluation is screening. At this stage various questions are asked to determine the presence of disorders and symptoms related to addiction. The questions can be answered in simple yes or no.

Second step is assessment that involves deep analysis of problem and chalking out of treatment plan for fast recovery of patient. This assessment may include questions related to family background, social life, drug abuse history. It plays a vital role for counselors to prescribe the treatment.
Follow-up is the third step for addiction treatment. Patients must take sessions to ensure complete recovery and prevent the urge to take alcohol after the treatment.

Sometimes a person need special help from different resources and cannot be treated with limited number of sessions. In this case, the patient is referred to the concerned person for further process of treatment.
Now that you are clear with the steps followed in the evaluation, you may book an appointment for virtual alcohol and drug evaluation at AACS.

It is important to choose a reliable service alcohol and drug evaluation for court. This assessment is required by the court to solve various cases. There are certain points that the person must consider before availing the service:

• Credentials of the professional

You must check the experience and qualification of the evaluator. Experienced professionals know the right way to treat the person. They don’t unnecessarily over diagnose or over treat the person. Check whether the evaluator has license and there is no disciplinary action against the substance abuse professional.

• Unique report

Make sure that the evaluator provides a unique and properly filled report including the severity of addiction and the treatment plan. SAP who only fills out a preformatted evaluation form is considered quite unprofessional by the court.

• Check report before the court

Ask whether it is possible to review the report before forwarding it to the court. It is an important document that determines the future, so it should be reviewed to avoid any error.

• Need of drug test

Drug test is done through a urine screen. It is an important part of alcohol and drug evaluation. In some cases this report is not essential but in some cases comments of evaluator are essential.

• Cost of assessment

You have to pay almost $200 for a basic alcohol test that can be considered as appropriate for the court. Make sure that you don’t compromise on quality of the report. The court can reject the evaluation if complete credentials and relevant information are missing in the report.

• Reviews about service

Research about the reviews received by the evaluator regarding the service offered. Always take your report from an authorized professional to avoid any issue in court.

Now that you have gone through all the points, making the right decision may not be very difficult for you. American Alternative Court Service is perfect place where you can get the alcohol and drug evaluation done with the help of experienced counselors.

In order to be precise, a drug addiction diagnosis is based upon a thorough analysis and assessment done by a licensed alcohol and drug counsellor. From blood to urine different types of lab tests are involved in this SAV evaluation to achieve the right extent of addiction. These tests that are used for monitoring the course of recovery, are used to build an effective treatment plan tailored to the individual needs of those suffering. By putting yourself in reliable hands of professionals, you’ll be given the best possible chance at recovery.

At AACS, you can start by discussing your substance use with our qualified doctors or ask for a referral to the specialists here in drug addiction department. Having examined thousands of clients for the test, our professionals carry the experience for a thorough assessment based upon facts and rational procedures. We put forward the independent perspective of someone you can trust and who knows you well.

When Is It Done?

Once you begin with your addiction treatment program, you may receive a substance abuse evaluation test to determine the extent of your substance use and form the accurate individualized care plan customized as per your needs and circumstances.

Since the treatment professionals need to know your history of addiction, to make it work, you have to:

• Be honest about your drug use.
• Make a list of all medications, vitamins, or supplements that you’re taking.
• Make a list of questions to ask your doctor or any other professional.

How It Works

A substance use evaluation is broken down into two stages that may be administered by professionals trained to assess addiction.

These steps can be defined as:

• Screening: Created to evaluate the presence of a particular problem, that will be determined with a simple yes or no.
• Assessment: Created for determining the nature of the patient’s problem, determining a diagnosis, and forming treatment recommendations for the problem or diagnosis.

So, If you believe that someone you love is suffering because of the substance use and requires an SAV evaluation, don’t hesitate to reach out to our professionals who can assist you in these tough times. Contact us today.