Institutional Guidelines for Pre-employment Drug Screening

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Appointment Process
A letter of offer must be sent to the applicant of a position that meets the criteria for pre-employment drug screening with details of the initial steps required once the position has been accepted.  The applicant can elect to have the screening at MCG Health, Inc. (MCGHI), Employee Health or a non-MCG certified testing facility. 

MCG Certified Testing Facility
MCGHI, Employee Health, is the official Medical College of Georgia (MCG) certified testing facility for faculty applicants that require pre-employment drug screening.  MCG Health, Inc. will bill MCG on a monthly basis for these charges.  The hiring department will provide the applicant with the necessary documents required at the time of scheduled for testing.

Non-MCG Certified Testing Facility
When the applicant selects a non-MCG testing facility not in the Augusta area, the following conditions must be met: 

1.      The facility must be certified by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) or College of American Pathology (CAP) to perform urine toxicology. 

2.      The applicant must provide the hiring department representative with the name of the facility and mailing address.  The hiring department will send the letter (see attached)  to the certified testing facility advising them of the requirements of Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 45-20-111, et  seg.) and MCG policies.

3.      The facility will be instructed to provide MCG with a written lab report and to include a copy of their current SAMHSA or CAP licensure and a written certification of chain of custody regarding each specimen. 

4.      Applicants must be screened for the presence of any amount of the following illegal drugs: marijuana / cannabinoids (THC); cocaine, amphetamines / methamphetamine; opiates; or phencyclidine (PCP).

5.      The facility will be instructed to bill the hiring department directly for charges for the initial drug screening and confirmation test requested up to the amount of $100 per individual applicant.  The hiring department is responsible for all charges associated with pre-employment drug screening of faculty applicants.

6.      Failure of the non-MCG certified testing facility to follow the procedures or to provide necessary certifications may nullify the applicant’s test results.

7.      Applicant's failure to submit for testing, or a positive result for illegal drugs, will render an applicant ineligible for employment.

VA Faculty
Many MCG faculty hold VA appointments.  Salary funding and distribution differs with the commitment between the two agencies.  It is possible that a faculty could receive all of their salary from the VA or receive funding from both the VA and MCG.  Georgia's pre-employment drug testing law applies only to employees and does not distinguish between full-time and part-time employment.  Therefore, the law requires that any VA faculty who receives any salary support from the Medical College of Georgia must submit to pre-employment drug testing.  Therefore, any new VA faculty appointment in this category should be advised of the pre-employment testing requirements and must comply with them prior to or not exceeding 10 days following their effective date of employment.  

Testing is not required in the following situations:

1.      Individuals providing services to the VA pursuant to a contract (e.g. shared services, scarce medical specialist services) between the Medical College of Georgia and the VA Augusta; and

2.      Individuals participating as investigators or co-investigators on research grants, but who receive direct salary support from the Medical College of Georgia.

Faculty who receive 100% salary support from the VA are not required to undergo MCG drug screening.  However, if their salary distribution changes to include any portion of MCG funding, a drug screening would at that time be required.  Therefore, it is advisable to request at the time of appointment that they voluntarily undergo the drug screening.  Please note that this is on a voluntary basis and should not be construed as a requirement.

Testing by Laboratories Outside the United States
Currently, there is no international licensing or accrediting process for urine toxicology screening.  Therefore, prospective faculty who reside outside the United States and its possessions must present for and submit to testing at a facility inside the United States.

Office of Faculty Affairs
Revised – May 15, 2002
Reviewed and Approved for Distribution
By Legal Affairs