EAP Providers Should Make “Mandatory Referrals” a Priority
With mandatory referrals, the employee’s participation in the Magellan EAP is a condition of his or her continued employment. EAP providers who accept mandatory referrals should consider them a top priority. The employee’s job may be in jeopardy and, more importantly, public safety may be at risk.
These referrals frequently occur for employees covered under the Department of Transportation, for those in safety-sensitive positions (e.g., machine operators, truck drivers, railroad workers and pilots) and for those covered under Drug Free Workplace policies. However, a variety of behaviors in the workplace can be the trigger for a mandatory referral for any class of employee.
Magellan occasionally receives feedback that providers have not complied with process guidelines (e.g., they have contacted the employer directly or have not arranged for a session with 48 hours). We ask that you carefully follow the process for mandatory referrals and contact Magellan Workplace Support staff if you have any questions.
Key points of the mandatory referral process:
- Consider all mandatory referrals top priority.
- Offer the employee an appointment that can occur within 48 hours of the employee’s referral request.
- Obtain the employee’s signature on an Authorization to Use or Disclose Information (AUD) form, Mandatory Referral Statement of Understanding, and the treatment plan, and fax those documents to the Magellan Workplace Support consultant assigned to the case.
- Confer with the Workplace Support consultant throughout the referral process.
- Always staff the case with the assigned Workplace Support consultant after the first session and before proceeding with recommendations with the employee, to assure that all applicable information to the case has been reviewed with the employee.
- Do not have any direct or indirect contact with the employer, even if the employee requests it. The Workplace Support consultant serves as the contact person for the employer.
- Do not complete Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), disability, fitness-for-duty or return-to-work forms.
For further details, see the Workplace Support Mandatory Referral Process document in the appendix area of the EAP Handbook Supplement.
We appreciate your collaboration with our Workplace Support team to serve employees in the Magellan EAP.