Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs Using Oral Fluid (OFMG)
Key claim: HHS is proposing to update the 2023 scientific and technical rules federal agencies must follow when they test employees for drugs using saliva samples.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Health and Human Services Department) The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS” or “Department”) is proposing to revise the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs using Oral Fluid (OFMG) published on October 12, 2023.
Why this matters
Oral-fluid testing is one of two HHS-authorized specimen types for federal workplace drug testing, and the OFMG sets the collection, laboratory, and reporting standards agencies and their contractors must meet. Revising the 2023 OFMG alongside the UrMG signals a coordinated technical refresh of federal testing procedures, which flows through to covered federal employees, applicants, and some federally-regulated workforces.