HHS Publishes Latest Certified Drug Testing Labs List
Published Date: 7/2/2026
Notice
Summary
HHS just dropped the latest list of labs and testing spots approved to do urine and oral fluid drug tests for federal workers. If a lab loses its certification, it’s off the list until it’s back in good standing. This update helps keep drug testing fair, reliable, and up-to-date—so federal agencies know exactly who’s certified right now.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 5 costs, 0 mixed.
Strict Lab Certification And Maintenance Rules
To become HHS-certified, a laboratory or IITF must pass three rounds of performance testing plus an on-site inspection. To keep certification, a lab or IITF must participate in quarterly performance testing and periodic on-site inspections, and applicant-stage facilities are not considered certified.
No Oral Fluid Labs Certified Now
HHS currently lists zero laboratories certified to conduct oral fluid drug and specimen validity testing. This notice says there are no oral fluid-certified labs as of the July 2, 2026 publication.
IITFs Cannot Do Oral Fluid or DOT Tests
HHS does not allow Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITFs) to perform oral fluid testing, and the notice states DOT does not allow IITFs to test DOT-regulated specimens. These limits are in effect as described in the July 2, 2026 notice.
Two LabCorp Sites Withdrew June 30, 2026
The notice lists two Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings locations as voluntarily withdrawing from the National Laboratory Certification Program effective June 30, 2026. These withdrawn sites will be omitted from the monthly listing after that date.
Some Labs Restricted To Specific Agency Employees
The notice shows that certain HHS-certified laboratories are approved to test urine specimens only for specific agency employees—for example, the Minneapolis VA Forensic Toxicology Laboratory tests for Veterans Affairs (VA) employees only, and the US Army Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory tests for Department of Defense (DoD) employees only.
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