Federal Resources
Medication-Assisted Treatment: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) has been shown to be effective for many people with opioid use disorder. In addition to providing general information about MAT, this document provides information for employers wishing to assist or support workers with opioid use disorder.
Opioids in the Workplace: NIOSH web home for information and resources to help workers and employers facing the opioid crisis in their workplaces and communities.
Total Worker Health® Program: Total Worker Health® is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness-prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. The Total Worker Health (TWH) approach seeks to improve the well-being of the U.S. workforce by protecting their safety and enhancing their health and productivity. Using TWH strategies benefits workers, employers, and the community.
Using Naloxone to Reverse Opioid Overdose in the Workplace: Information for Employers and Workers: Naloxone is a very effective drug for reversing opioid overdoses. NIOSH developed this information to help employers and workers understand the risk of opioid overdose and help them decide if they should establish a workplace naloxone availability and use program.
Workplace Supported Recovery Program: Workplaces represent a critical point of contact for Americans struggling with or recovering from a substance use disorder. In a Workplace Supported Recovery Program, employers use evidence-based policies, programs, and practices to reduce multiple risk factors, help workers seek the care they need, and provide assistance in recovery.
EEOC Disability-Related Resources – Links to diverse resources for a range of stakeholders, including employers.
Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA - Clarifies the rights and responsibilities of employers and individuals with disabilities regarding reasonable accommodation and undue hardship.
How Health Care Providers Can Help Current and Former Patients Who Have Used Opioids Stay Employed – Guidance for health care providers.
Mental Health Conditions: Resources for Job Seekers, Employees, and Employers – Information on applicable anti-discrimination laws for people with or in recovery from mental health or substance use disorders.
Use of Codeine, Oxycodone, and Other Opioids: Information for Employees - Information on applicable laws and how they apply n specific cases.
Rural Community Action Guide and Promising Practices Supplement – The guide aims to educate the public by providing an overview of the key challenges rural communities face when addressing the consequences of prescription opioid misuse and the use of illicit substances. The supplement details selected promising practices.
Rural Community Health Toolkit – Provides rural communities with the information, resources, and materials they need to develop a community health program
Addressing the Stigma that Surrounds Addiction - Blog post from National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora Volkow.
Memorandum to Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Changing Federal Terminology Regarding Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders – Guidance provided by the Director of National Drug Control Policy (January 9, 2017).
Perspective: Stigma and the Toll of Addiction, Nora Volkow, MD, New England Journal of Medicine – Perspective article in peer-reviewed journal.
Words Matter - Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction – Guidance on language and stigma from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
About the Worker Training Program (WTP) - WTP provides grants to nonprofit organizations, including labor-based health and safety organizations and academic institutions, so they can deliver training to a variety of workers who may face a hazardous work environment.
Initiatives to Prevent Opioid Misuse and Promote Recovery Friendly Workplace Programs – Compendium of various approaches including state-, company- and union-led efforts.
Opioids & Substance Use: Workplace Prevention & Response – Diverse resources for employees and employers.
2020 SAMHSA Treatment, Recovery, and Workforce Support Grant Notice of Funding Availability – 2020 federal grant notice.
Drug-Free Workplace Programs – Information on the Drug-Free Workplace Program.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Prescription Drug Toolkit and Fact Sheets – These provide guidance related to counseling, referrals, and follow-up services (e.g., alternatives to prescription drugs, workplace drug misuse and relapse prevention, dangers of combined drug use, screenings, and evaluations before returning to work).
Model Plan for a Comprehensive Drug-Free Workplace Program – Updated (June 2022) model plan guidance document for employers.
Recovery-Friendly Workplace Toolkit - (SAMHSA Peer Center of Excellence)
SAMHSA Advisory: Integrating Vocational Services into Substance Use Disorder Treatment – Guidance for substance use disorder treatment providers and other stakeholders.
Substance Use Disorders Recovery with a Focus on Employment and Education – Evidence-based resource guide for diverse stakeholders.
Transforming Lives Through Supported Employment (SE) Program– Information on a SAMHSA grant program and the projects undertaken by grantees.
Workplace Prevention Basics: A guide for employers to identify and prevent opioid and other substance misuse in the workplace - Guidance for employers.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Opioid Crisis: Combating Discrimination Against People in Treatment or Recovery – Fact sheet with useful information for employees and employers.
Operation Prevention Workplace Module Guide – Guide to utilizing DEA Operation Prevention workplace modules, which can be found at Operation Prevention.
A Resource for Change: The Role of Peer Recovery Support Specialists in Reentry Programs - Article from The Council of State Governments Justice Center, staff from the Erie County (NY) Jails Co-occurring Enhancement
Reentry Initiative on how peer recovery support specialists can enhance reentry programs.
Using Supported Employment to Help People with Behavioral Health Needs Reentering Communities – This brief, made available by the National Reentry Resource Center, highlights four ways that reentry and community supervision programs can use supported employment services to prepare people with behavioral health needs for successful reentry.
Reentry and Recovery: Employment Matters - This publication released through the Department of Justice’s COSSAP initiative discusses the critical importance of employment to successful recovery and reentry.
Growth Opportunities Grant Program – Grants to nonprofit organizations, local and regional government entities, federally recognized Indian and Tribal governments, and independent school districts to support employment for youth and young adults most impacted by community violence, particularly in areas of concentrated crime and poverty as well as communities that have recently experienced significant unrest. Businesses and unions can be partners in these grants, serving as employers.
National Health Emergency (NHE) Grants: Case Studies - Video interviews with several grantees from the National Health Emergency Demonstration Grants and National Health Emergency Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants.
Opioid Crisis Strategies and DOL Research – Information on approaches for addressing the opioid crisis in the employment context.
Recovery Friendly Workplaces - New Hampshire Model – Online information about the New Hampshire Recovery-Friendly Workplace initiative.
Summer 2022 Workforce System Opioid Webinar Series - Four interactive webinars on serving individuals with opioid addiction and other substance use disorder for workforce professionals at local, state, and federal level, and their partner agencies.
The Federal Bonding Program - The U.S. Department of Labor established The Federal Bonding Program in 1966 to provide Fidelity Bonds for “at-risk,” hard-to-place job seekers. The bonds protect the employer against losses caused by the fraudulent or dishonest acts of the bonded employee for the first six months of employment at no cost to the job applicant or the employer. Eligible groups include, but are not limited to, people in recovery from substance use disorder, justice-involved citizens, economically disadvantaged youth and adults who lack work histories, and individuals with a dishonorable discharge from the military.
The Opioid Crisis in the Construction Industry - Webinar on the opioid crisis in the construction industry.
The Role of the Workforce System in Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Resource Guide – Guidance for National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant recipients and other stakeholders.
The Role of the Workforce System in Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Review of the Literature – Provides a summary of the evidence on: (1) effective and promising practices for providing employment services to people with opioid use disorder; (2) employer best practices for preventing negative effects of opioid use disorder in the workplace and creating recovery-friendly workplaces; and (3) key considerations for developing the health care workforce that is addressing the opioid crisis.
Training and Employment Notice No. 2-21 – Information for states and local areas on the role of the public workforce system in addressing the adverse impacts of opioid and other drug use disorders.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) - The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit available to employers who invest in American job seekers who have consistently faced barriers to employment. Employers may meet their business needs and claim a tax credit if they hire an individual who is in a WOTC targeted group. There are numerous targeted groups, including people with felony convictions, but not including people in recovery.
State Resources
Indiana Workforce Recovery - Best practice guidelines for employers, including a second-chance program for applicants and current employees who are qualified for work but test positive on a drug screen.
Kentucky Transformational Employment Program (KTEP) - The Kentucky Transformational Employment Program (KTEP) provides a pathway for businesses and employers to help more Kentuckians reach long-term recovery while supporting fair chance employment.
Minnesota Opioid Epidemic Response: Employer Toolkit – Developed by the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP), the toolkit identified five steps employers can take to prevent and address substance use disorder
Recovery-Friendly New Hampshire and Employer Orientation Packet – The Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative gives business owners resources and support to foster a supportive environment that encourages the success of their employees in recovery.
Recovery Ohio Recovery Friendly Employer Training Modules – The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), RecoveryOhio, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and the training and consulting firm Working Partners developed these eight video training modules.
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Substance Misuse Toolkit - Six easy-to-watch online training modules (30 minutes or less per video)
Other Materials
A Public Health Approach to Protecting Workers from Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Related to Occupational Exposure, Injury, and Stress (Policy Number 202012) – Outlines the APH position on protecting worker from opioid use disorder and overdose in the occupational context, identifying strategies for addressing it.
Drugs at Work: What Employers Need to Know – Key information and resources for employers.
Goplerud et al. A Substance Use Cost Calculator for US Employers With an Emphasis on Prescription Pain Medication Misuse – Article in peer reviewed journal describing the methodology for developing the NORC/NSC Substance Use Cost Calculator.
NORC, NSC Mental Health Employer Cost Calculator – Mental health cost calculator developed utilizing similar approach.
NORC/NSC Briefs:
- Cannabis and the Workplace
- Driving Under the Influence
- How Workers with Active Substance Use Disorders Impact Employer Health Care Costs
- Impacts of Alcohol on Worker Health, Safety, Risk-taking and Workplace Costs
- Prescription Opioids and Work
- Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability and Return to Work
- Substance Use Disorders by Occupation
- Substance Use Disorder Treatment
- Substance Use, Gender and Sexual Orientation
- Substance Use: Prevention, Screening Tools and Workplace Policies
- Turnover and Substance Use: What It Costs and What Can Be Done
Opioids At Work Employer Toolkit – A comprehensive employer guide for addressing opioids.
Substance Use Cost Calculator for U.S. Employers: Overview of Data Sources and Analytic Approach – Overview of cost calculator methodology.
Substance Use Employer Cost Calculator – Developed in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, the National Safety Council’s cost calculator provides a tool for estimating the cost substance use to employers taking into account industry, geography, and company size.
Employer Guide to Second Chance Hiring Programs and Tax Credits – Provides information on WOTC, the Federal Bonding Program, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Growth Opportunities Grant Program.
Raise Your Recovery Awareness in the Workplace (Blog Post) – Recommendations for employers.