Does the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approve employer or consortia/third party administrator (C/TPA) drug and alcohol testing programs?
No. The FAA no longer reviews or approves drug and alcohol testing programs for employers or C/TPAs. Employers certify their compliance when they sign the drug and alcohol testing paragraph (A449) in their Operations Specifications or when they register their program with the FAA Drug Abatement Division. C/TPAs do not submit documentation to the FAA. Consequently, an employer's or C/TPA's claim that it is "FAA-approved" is no longer valid.
If you have any further questions or need additional guidance that is more specific to your situation, please contact the FAA Drug Abatement Division at (202) 267-8442 or drugabatement@faa.gov.
Please visit our website to learn more about the program.