BY STATE · VIRGINIA · 49 CFR §40.281

How to Become a DOT SAP in Virginia

Becoming a DOT Substance Abuse Professional is one uniform federal pathway, set in 49 CFR §40.281 and applied the same way in every state. What is specific to Virginia is the underlying clinical credential — the license or certification you earn through the boards below to satisfy the §40.281(a) requirement before you complete SAP qualification training and pass the national exam.

TRACK A

Addiction-counselor certification (the DOT counselor path)

This is the path that satisfies the §40.281(a) “drug and alcohol counselor” category, which DOT accepts only through a NAADAC-, IC&RC-, or NBCC-affiliated board. In Virginia that credential is:

Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC); Certified Substance Abuse Counselor–Assistant (CSAC-A)

IC&RC-affiliated: No

Issuing board: Virginia Board of Counseling — Department of Health Professions (DHP); state-board credential (NOT IC&RC)
Education requirement: CSAC: bachelor's or post-baccalaureate degree + 240 clock hours of didactic substance-abuse training (120 hours before registration as a CSAC Supervisee) (verified on DHP CSAC page).
Supervised hours: CSAC: 2,000 hours of supervised experience (including 160 hours of specific substance-abuse client tasks and 100 hours of in-person supervision), pre-registered with the Board (verified on DHP CSAC page).
Required exam: NAADAC NCAC-1 exam (verified on DHP CSAC page — required for VA CSAC).
Also accepted: NAADAC path — the VA Board of Counseling requires the NAADAC NCAC-1 exam for CSAC (verified), so the CSAC satisfies DOT §40.281(a) via NAADAC even though the credential itself is not IC&RC. (Virginia's separate IC&RC affiliate is the Virginia Certification Board (VCB), which issues the CADC.)

TRACK B

State clinical license

Virginia also issues a clinical license that qualifies on its own under §40.281(a).

Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (LSATP) — master-level independent-practice addiction LICENSE

Issuing board: Virginia Board of Counseling — Department of Health Professions (DHP)

OTHER PATHS

Other SAP-eligible boards in Virginia

You do not have to be an addiction counselor. Any one of these Virginia boards licenses a profession that satisfies one of the other five §40.281(a) SAP credential categories — physician, social worker, psychologist, employee assistance professional, or marriage and family therapist.

Social worker Virginia Board of Social Work — DHP (LCSW)

Psychologist Virginia Board of Psychology — DHP

Marriage & family therapist Virginia Board of Counseling — DHP (LPC / LMFT)

Physician Virginia Board of Medicine — DHP

THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS

The federal steps are the same in every state

Once you hold a qualifying Virginia credential above, the rest of the SAP pathway is set by federal rule and does not change by state. See the full federal requirements →

1 What credential do you need to become a DOT SAP?
2 What knowledge does a SAP need?
3 What qualification training and exam are required?
4 What continuing education must a SAP maintain?
5 What documentation must a SAP keep?
6 What does a DOT SAP actually do?

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-07-07

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