HHS Updates List of Pee-Test Labs for Federal Workers
Published Date: 9/30/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Health and Human Services just updated the list of labs and testing centers approved to do urine and oral fluid drug tests for federal agencies. If a lab loses its certification, it’s dropped from the list until it’s fixed. This monthly update helps keep drug testing reliable and fair for all federal workers.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Certification requires multi-step testing and upkeep
To become HHS-certified, a laboratory or IITF must undergo three rounds of performance testing plus an on-site inspection. To maintain certification, a laboratory or IITF must participate in a quarterly performance testing program and undergo periodic on-site inspections.
Monthly public list of certified testing labs
HHS publishes a monthly list of laboratories and Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITFs) that are certified to test urine and oral fluid for Federal agencies. If a lab or IITF has its certification suspended or revoked, it will be omitted from future monthly lists until its certification is restored.
No oral-fluid labs currently certified
The notice states that at this time there are no HHS-certified laboratories approved to conduct drug and specimen validity tests on oral fluid specimens. That means Federal agencies cannot use HHS-certified oral fluid testing from these labs until one or more labs are listed.
IITFs can test urine; DOT specimens excluded
The notice lists HHS-certified Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITFs) that meet minimum standards to conduct urine testing. It also explicitly notes that the Department of Transportation (DOT) does not allow IITFs to test DOT-regulated specimens.
Certain labs limited to agency employees only
The notice lists HHS-certified urine laboratories and specifies that some labs are approved to test only for certain agencies: the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center lab is listed as 'Testing for Veterans Affairs (VA) Employees Only' and the US Army Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory is listed as 'Testing for Department of Defense (DoD) Employees Only.'
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Key Dates
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