# What is the SAP's function in the follow-up evaluation of an employee?

**Citation:** 49 CFR 40.301  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** 2026-08-18  
**Published:** Not stated

(a) As a SAP, after you have prescribed assistance under § 40.293, you must re-evaluate the employee to determine if the employee has successfully carried out your education and/or treatment recommendations.

(1) This is your way to gauge for the employer the employee's ability to demonstrate succes

## Document text

(a) As a SAP, after you have prescribed assistance under § 40.293, you must re-evaluate the employee to determine if the employee has successfully carried out your education and/or treatment recommendations.

(1) This is your way to gauge for the employer the employee's ability to demonstrate successful compliance with the education and/or treatment plan.

(2) Your evaluation may serve as one of the reasons the employer decides to return the employee to safety-sensitive duty.

(b) As the SAP making the follow-up evaluation determination, you must:

(1) Confer with or obtain appropriate documentation from the appropriate education and/or treatment program professionals where the employee was referred; and

(2) Conduct a clinical interview meeting the requirements of § 40.291(a)(1) with the employee to determine if the employee demonstrates successful compliance with your initial evaluation recommendations.

(c) (1) If the employee has demonstrated successful compliance, you must provide a written report directly to the DER highlighting your clinical determination that the employee has done so with your initial evaluation recommendation (see § 40.311(d)).

(2) You may determine that an employee has successfully demonstrated compliance even though the employee has not yet completed the full regimen of education and/or treatment you recommended or needs additional assistance. For example, if the employee has successfully completed the 30-day in-patient program you prescribed, you may make a “successful compliance” determination even though you conclude that the employee has not yet completed the out-patient counseling you recommended or should continue in an aftercare program.

(d)(1) As the SAP, if you believe, as a result of the follow-up evaluation, that the employee has not demonstrated successful compliance with your recommendations, you must provide written notice directly to the DER (see § 40.311(e)).

(2) As an employer who receives the SAP's written notice that the employee has not successfully complied with the SAP's recommendations, you must not return the employee to the performance of safety-sensitive duties.

(3) As the SAP, you may conduct additional follow-up evaluation(s) if the employer determines that doing so is consistent with the employee's progress as you have reported it and with the employer's policy and/or labor-management agreements.

(4) As the employer, following a SAP report that the employee has not demonstrated successful compliance, you may take personnel action consistent with your policy and/or labor-management agreements.

[65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 88 FR 27650, May 2, 2023]

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2026-08-18/title-49/section-40.301>
- Source ID: `ecfr`
- SHA-256: `479c2ce6c49bc30e849d824887329014dab0bb66ea552f175ed08f2e0dd096fb`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T05:54:21.729Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T15:58:24.707Z
- Document slug: `49-cfr-40-301`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "cfrTitle": 49,
  "part": "40",
  "section": "40.301",
  "subpart": "Subpart O—Substance Abuse Professionals and the Return-to-Duty Process",
  "corpusVersion": "2026-08-18",
  "jurisdiction": "US"
}
```