Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program Requirements and Costs

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Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program Requirements and Costs

The Physical Therapy Board of California (PTBC) is authorized pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 2662 to provide a substance abuse rehabilitation program to assist physical therapists and physical therapist assistants whose competency is impaired due to abuse of dangerous drugs or alcohol so that they may be treated and returned to the practice of physical therapy in a manner which will not endanger the public health and safety. Entering into the substance abuse rehabilitation program does not stop an investigation or disciplinary action by PTBC when a licensee chooses to enter the program when the Board is already aware of the impairment.

Licensees enrolled in the rehabilitation program are required to pay the entire cost of the program pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 2668. The rehabilitation program costs include the monthly administrative fee, monthly health support group fees, and random drug and alcohol testing fees. All rehabilitation program fees are subject to change.

Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program Timeframe

Participation in the rehabilitation program is for a period of approximately 3–5 years.

Monthly Administrative Fee

The participant is required to pay a monthly administrative fee of $406.85 (as of January 2026) directly to the rehabilitation program. This fee increases by 3% annually in January.

Random Biological Testing (RBT) & Collection Fees

The participant is required to pay all RBT testing and collection fees. Collection fees are in addition to the testing fee, and vary by location, as each testing site sets their own price. There is a preferred network of collection sites where the collection fee is $30 per urine test. As of October 2025, the cost of random biological urine testing is $66.50 per test. Additional testing may be scheduled for various reasons, involving oral fluid, urine, hair, nail, or blood samples. These additional tests are not done on a regular basis and are typically more costly than the random biological urine testing. A PEth test, which is a blood test for a metabolite of alcohol, costs $110. Hair or nail tests, which test for multiple substances over a window of several months, cost between $58.00 to $238.00 depending on the substances tested. There are other variations of hair, nail, and oral fluid testing which may have different prices.

In all cases, PTBC requires observed collections. Collection fees are paid directly to the testing site at the time of collection. Your testing fees will be billed monthly through your Vault account, which is set up upon your admittance to the rehabilitation program.

Professional Support Group Meetings

Support group meetings are a treatment modality of the rehabilitation program. These groups are attended exclusively by licensed professionals who are in their own recovery and involved in a rehabilitation program. The support group facilitators are licensed professionals who have extensive clinical experience in working with licensed professionals in recovery and in rehabilitation programs. Each participant is required to attend support group meetings two times per week during their first 18 months in the rehabilitation program. The frequency of support group meeting attendance can be reduced to one time per week after 18 months of successful participation in the program. This reduction is also based upon the on–going clinical evaluation of each participant.

Professional Support Group Meetings Fees

The participant pays the monthly support group meeting fees directly to the support group facilitator. Support groups all charge different fees and negotiate directly with the participant. Average costs range from $200–$500 monthly. Participants may be required to attend support groups once or twice weekly.

12–Step Meetings

All participants are required to attend community–based 12–step meetings. The frequency requirement is established and modified by the Clinical Case Manager based upon the on–going clinical evaluation of each participant, and ranges from daily attendance to three times per week. Generally, there is not a cost associated with attending 12–step meetings. Contributions at the 12–step meetings are voluntary.

Clinical Assessment

All participants are required to undergo an initial clinical assessment and subsequent re–assessments by contracted Assessors. There is currently no cost to the Physical Therapy Board participants for the initial clinical assessment and the annual re–assessments. However, if the participant is required to have more than one clinical assessment per year the participant is required to pay the cost for the additional clinical assessment. These additional assessments are usually a direct result of the participant having ongoing and/or reoccurring difficulties in the rehabilitation program.

Additional Cost to Third Parties

Participants may be required to enter formal chemical dependency treatment (i.e. inpatient or outpatient facilities) at treatment programs approved by the rehabilitation program. Referrals to specific treatment programs are based upon the assessment of a participant's clinical need. The cost of any formal chemical dependency treatment program is the sole responsibility of each participant. The participants may also be required to undergo formal treatment for a mental health diagnosis. The cost of any formal treatment from a mental health treatment program is the sole responsibility of each participant.

Worksite Monitor

Each participant is required to have a worksite monitor at his or her place of employment. The rehabilitation program will provide the applicant with the required consent forms at the time of enrollment. The worksite monitor is required to report to the rehabilitation program on the status of the participant.

Other Requirements

The participant must submit monthly self–evaluation reports and call into the rehabilitation program on a routine, often daily, basis. The assigned Clinical Case Manager will determine the frequency of how often the participant needs to call in. Participants are required to receive prior approval from the Clinical Case Manager before scheduling and taking any vacations. The participant's Clinical Case Manager may determine other requirements.