Can the V.A. drug test you without your knowledge?

SFC Joseph Tidwell — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:23:42 -0400

I got drug tested and didn't know it until I looked at my lab results online. They tested me for seven different drugs, even though I've never had a drug problem.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Oct 4 at 2019 12:29 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:29:09 -0400

Of course... drugs have to be ruled out so symptoms aren't misattributed..

Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Oct 4 at 2019 2:35 PM

SP5 Peter Keane — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 14:35:24 -0400

any time ou pee in a cup at VA you are being drug tested.

Response by Marcus Kesler made Oct 4 at 2019 5:00 PM

Marcus Kesler — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 17:00:46 -0400

The VA, and many hospitals, can drug test people for many different reasons:
A drug test can be used to evaluate someone for different causes of symptoms, it can be used to evaluate people for compliance with pain management agreements, it can be used to monitor for risk of diversion or abuse of drugs, it can be used to evaluate someone for potentially harmful and life threatening interactions before ordering procedures or new medications, and many other legitimate medical reasons. Changes are pretty high that they did a drug test because it's a required checkbox in a long flow-sheet of required tests before they could order or do something else and to rule out everything before proceeding, and changes are pretty low that they did a drug test because someone looked at you and thought "that dude is on drugs".

It is important to point out that a "medical" drug test is not a "legal" drug test. There is no chain-of-custody with a medical drug test because there (usually) is no legal drawback if you end up with a positive drug test from one of them. They are only used to assist with medical decision making, nothing else.

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made Oct 4 at 2019 11:03 PM

MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 23:03:20 -0400

Many hospitals (including VA facilities) routinely run drug panels with any blood draw they do. It is only used to help diagnose symptoms as presented. I also helps avoid medication interaction complications. Certain medications CAN NOT be mixed with other meds or street drugs. I doubt the results would stand up in court as any 1st year law student would be able to get the results tossed due to violation of Chain-of Custody, warrantless search, etc, etc, etc.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Oct 6 at 2019 2:15 PM

MSG Danny Mathers — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 14:15:34 -0400

So what? You go to the doctor, any doctor and when they request lab work, it will include a piss test. I am surprised you didn't know this.

Response by SP6 Guy Slater made Oct 7 at 2019 12:58 AM

SP6 Guy Slater — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 00:58:45 -0400

Question. Are you on any narcotic medications? Are you on Gabapentin?
Gabapentin is now being abused on the street, and meth heads are looking for it. I was on it for a couple of years, but because of the hassles about refills (at one point, VA required a new script every 30 days, even from their own prescriber.) My last time to the VA, in September, was for lab, including a UA. The surprise for me is when the lab tech had me sign the chain of custody paperwork across the sealed bag holding the cup.

My bottom line is that if a drug can be abused, it will be, and it doesn't have to be a narcotic. I think you should be OK letting them go ahead. As for not telling you prior to the sample, all I can say is that the number of people going through that system may make it impossible for the provider to remember to tell you.

Response by SP5 Joseph Ascanio made Oct 11 at 2019 6:54 AM

SP5 Joseph Ascanio — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 06:54:03 -0400

Never heard of that.

Response by Marlenet Sandoval made Mar 28 at 2023 4:21 AM

Marlenet Sandoval — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 04:21:03 -0400

I totally understand your frustration with being drug tested without your knowledge. It's definitely not a fun experience to go through. From my understanding, the V.A. does have the authority to drug test individuals, but they're required to inform you beforehand. It seems like there was a miscommunication or mistake made in your situation. Have you tried reaching out to the V.A. to see if they can provide more information or clarity on why you were tested without your knowledge? It might be worth a shot to see if you can get some answers. In the meantime, if you're worried about how to pass a drug test, there are some resources out there that might be helpful. I came across an article on this topic on https://www.newsdirect.com/guest-content/how-to-pass-a-drug-test that you might find useful. It provides some tips on what to do if you're asked to take a drug test, including drinking plenty of water and avoiding certain foods and medications.

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