§ 122C-142.1.  Substance abuse services for those convicted of driving while impaired or driving while less than 21 years old after consuming alcohol or drugs.

(a) Services. - An area authority shall provide, directly or by contract, the substance abuse services needed by a person to obtain a certificate of completion required under G.S. 20-17.6 as a condition for the restoration of a drivers license. A person may obtain the required services from an area facility, from a private facility authorized by the Department to provide this service, or, with the approval of the Department, from an agency that is located in another state.

(a1) Authorization of a Private Facility Provider. - The Department shall authorize a private facility located in this State to provide substance abuse services needed by a person to obtain a certificate of completion if the private facility complies with all of the requirements of this subsection:

(1) Notifies both the designated area facility for the catchment area in which it is located and the Department of its intent to provide the services.

(2) Agrees to comply with the laws and rules concerning these services that apply to area facilities.

(3) Pays the Department the applicable fee for authorizing and monitoring the services of the facility. The initial fee is payable at the time the facility notifies the Department of its intent to provide the services and by July 1 of each year thereafter. Collected fees shall be used by the Division for program monitoring and quality assurance. The applicable fee is based upon the number of assessments completed during the prior fiscal year as set forth below:

Number of Assessments Fee Amount

0-24 $250.00

25-99 $500.00

100 or more $750.00.

(b) Assessments. - To conduct a substance abuse assessment, a facility shall give a client a standardized test approved by the Department to determine chemical dependency and shall conduct a clinical interview with the client. Based on the assessment, the facility shall recommend that the client either attend an alcohol and drug education traffic (ADET) school or obtain treatment. A recommendation shall be reviewed and signed by a certified alcoholism, drug abuse, or substance abuse counselor, as defined by the Commission, a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, or by a physician certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The signature on the recommendation shall be the personal signature of the individual authorized to review the recommendation and not the signature of his or her agent. The signature shall reflect that the authorized individual has personally reviewed the recommendation and, with full knowledge of the contents of the recommendation, approved of the recommended treatment.

(b1) Persons Authorized to Conduct Assessments. - The following individuals are authorized to conduct a substance abuse assessment under subsection (b) of this section:

(1) A Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC), as defined by the Commission.

(2) A Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), as defined by the Commission.

(3) Repealed by Session Laws 2004-197, s. 2, effective October 1, 2008, and applicable to substance abuse assessments conducted on or after that date.

(4) A person licensed by the North Carolina Medical Board or the North Carolina Psychology Board.

(5) A physician certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).

(c) School or Treatment. - Attendance at an ADET school is required if none of the following applies and completion of a treatment program is required if any of the following applies:

(1) The person took a chemical test at the time of the offense that caused the person's license to be revoked and the test revealed that the person had an alcohol concentration at any relevant time after driving of at least 0.15.

(2) The person has a prior conviction of an offense involving impaired driving.

(3) The substance abuse assessment identifies a substance abuse disability.

(d) Standards. - An ADET school shall offer the curriculum established by the Commission and shall comply with the rules adopted by the Commission. A substance abuse treatment program offered to a person who needs the program to obtain a certificate of completion shall comply with the rules adopted by the Commission.

(d1) Persons Authorized to Provide Instruction. - Beginning January 1, 2009, individuals who provide ADET school instruction as a Department-authorized ADETS instructor must have at least one of the following qualifications:

(1) A Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC), as defined by the Commission.

(2) A Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS), as defined by the Commission.

(3) A Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Consultant (CSAPC), as defined by the Commission.

(e) Certificate of Completion. - Any facility that issues a certificate of completion shall forward the original certificate of completion to the Department. The Department shall review the certificate of completion for accuracy and completeness. If the Department finds the certificate of completion to be accurate and complete, the Department shall forward it to the Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Transportation. If the Department finds the certificate of completion is not accurate or complete, the Department shall return the certificate of completion to the area facility for appropriate action.

(f) Fees. - A person who has a substance abuse assessment conducted for the purpose of obtaining a certificate of completion shall pay to the assessing agency a fee of one hundred dollars ($100). A person shall pay to a school a fee of one hundred sixty dollars ($160.00). A person shall pay to a treatment facility a fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00). If the defendant is treated by an area mental health facility, G.S. 122C-146 applies after receipt of the seventy-five dollar ($75.00) fee.

A facility that provides to a person who is required to obtain a certificate of completion a substance abuse assessment, an ADET school, or a substance abuse treatment program may require the person to pay a fee required by this subsection before it issues a certificate of completion. As stated in G.S. 122C-146, however, an area facility may not deny a service to a person because the person is unable to pay.

A facility shall remit to the Department ten percent (10%) of each fee paid to the facility under this subsection by a person who attends an ADET school conducted by the facility. The Department may use amounts remitted to it under this subsection only to support, evaluate, and administer ADET schools.

(f1) Multiple Assessments. - If a person has more than one offense for which a certificate of completion is required under G.S. 20-17.6, the person shall pay the assessment fee required under subsection (f) of this section for each certificate of completion required. However, the facility shall conduct only one substance abuse assessment and recommend only one ADET school or treatment program for all certificates of completion required at that time, and the person shall pay the fee required under subsection (f) of this section for only one school or treatment program.

If any of the criteria in subdivisions (c)(1), (c)(2), or (c)(3) of this section are present in any of the offenses for which the person needs a certificate of completion, completion of a treatment program shall be required pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

The provisions of this subsection do not apply to subsequent assessments performed after a certificate of completion has already been issued for a previous assessment.

(g) Out-of-State Services. - A person may obtain a substance abuse service needed to obtain a certificate of completion from a provider located in another state if the service offered by that provider is substantially similar to the service offered by a provider located in this State. A person who obtains a service from a provider located in another state is responsible for paying any fees imposed by the provider.

(h) Rules. - The Commission may adopt rules to implement this section. In developing rules for determining when a person needs to be placed in a substance abuse treatment program, the Commission shall consider diagnostic criteria such as those contained in the most recent revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or used by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).

(i) Report. - The Department shall submit an annual report on substance abuse assessments to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations. The report is due by February 1. Each facility that provides services needed by a person to obtain a certificate of completion shall file an annual report with the Department by October 1 that contains the information the Department needs to compile the report the Department is required to submit under this section.

The report submitted to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations shall include all of the following information and any other information requested by that Commission:

(1) The number of persons required to obtain a certificate of completion during the previous fiscal year as a condition of restoring the person's drivers license under G.S. 20-17.6.

(2) The number of substance abuse assessments conducted during the previous fiscal year for the purpose of obtaining a certificate of completion.

(3) Of the number of assessments reported under subdivision (2) of this subsection, the number recommending attendance at an ADET school, the number recommending treatment, and, for those recommending treatment, the level of treatment recommended.

(4) Of the number of persons recommended for an ADET school or treatment under subdivision (3) of this subsection, the number who completed the school or treatment.

(5) The number of substance abuse assessments conducted by each facility and, of these assessments, the number that recommended attendance at an ADET school and the number that recommended treatment.

(6) The fees paid to a facility for providing services for persons to obtain a certificate of completion and the facility's costs in providing those services.

(j) Repealed by Session Laws 2013-360, s. 12A.8(a), effective July 1, 2013. (1995, c. 496, ss. 10, 13; 2001-370, s. 9; 2003-396, ss. 1, 3, 4; 2004-197, ss. 1, 2, 3; 2005-312, ss. 1, 2, 4; 2008-130, ss. 7, 8; 2013-360, s. 12A.8(a).)