Drug Screening

This article will help you:

• Understand the available Checkr Drug Screenings
• Order Drug Screenings as part of a background report
• Answer common questions from candidates about Drug Screenings

Drug use can impact job performance. Employers drug test  to reduce costs and risks associated from the impact of drug abuse.

Employers may drug test as part of the pre-employment screening. Checkr offers two drug screening tests: “5-panel” and “10-panel” with collection. The number of panels refers to the number of substances that are tested as part of the screen.

Some states have certain laws or guidelines around what employers can do with respect to drug testing. In most states, hiring may be contingent upon passing pre-employment drug tests, with employers requiring candidates to take the test after a conditional offer of employment has been made.

The candidate experience

Checkr eases the candidate’s experience during the drug screening process by offering a mobile-optimized, easy-to-use scheduling flow and allowing candidates to schedule the test, access the donor pass, and view results within the same system.

When a background check is initiated, candidates will be asked to complete the following steps:

1. Candidates will receive an invitation to authorize a background check, which will include the request for a drug screening.
2. Upon receiving the invitation, the candidate enters their information, views the necessary disclosures, and authorizes consent.
3. The candidate then schedules their drug test at a lab of their choosing, selects a date, and confirms the appointment.

4. The candidate then downloads their donor pass (which Checkr will also email to them), and reports to the lab to submit to the drug test.

When complete, the candidate’s specimen is submitted to the lab for testing. Results are returned as negative or non-negative.

• Negative means the drug screen came back clear.
• Non-negative means the applicant tested positive for one of the drugs on the panel. For a more detailed list of all non-negative outcomes please contact your Checkr account manager.

A Medical Review Officer (MRO) reviews all non-negative results.

• First, the MRO will call the candidate to ask if they have a viable prescription (3 attempts in 24 hours).
• If the MRO cannot reach the candidate, the results stay non-negative without a legitimate prescription.
• If the MRO does reach the candidate, and confirms a legitimate prescription the result is negative.

Results are returned to Checkr, and are populated in the dashboard.

How do I check on the candidate through the drug screening process?

The appointment must be scheduled and taken within seven days (by default, although this is customizable). Otherwise the order will expire. Results are typically available within 2-3 business days after a collection is completed. If the results are sent to a Medical Review Officer, it can take a few business days more.

To view results, click Health Report on the applicant's background check. Timeline will display the date that the candidate scheduled a date to take the test, the date the collection was collected, and the date the results are available.

If the drug test has expired, or if you need to reschedule one for any other reason, you can order a new one by clicking the link shown below:

What if the candidate has questions or disputes?

As a consumer reporting agency, Checkr can answer questions about the timeline of the test, but we cannot help the candidate directly dispute the drug test results. We can only assist in any dispute regarding the background check (criminal records, DMV reports, etc.)

The applicant has the right to contest the Medical Review Officer's findings, but needs to contact the lab they originally went to.

To enable Drug Screening on your account, please contact Checkr Customer Support.