DELAYS AND CLOSURES
Closures and Delays:
Global:
- All services for Russia and Ukraine are immediately suspended due to current country turmoil.
DRUG TESTING ALERT
In Summary:
Our vendors continue to monitor laboratory delays and communicate any progress or remaining challenges. Please see the updated summary below for each of our main lab partners.
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Quest
Quest is not reporting delays currently. Processing and negative screening is working same day. Confirmation reporting has returned to average time of 3 to 5 days.
Collection kit fulfillment has slightly improved. Receipt of products is now tracking at 20 days from time of request. Quest expects to return to 7 to 10 business day window within the next two weeks.
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LabCorp
LabCorp continues to face operational challenges. However, there has been some improvement. Negative specimens have returned to normal reporting times of 24-48 hours after receipt at the laboratory. On average, non-negative reporting still holds at 10 to 14 days. In extreme cases, reporting of non-negatives can take up to 30 days. However, over the past two weeks we have found non-negative results are reporting on average of just over8 days after receipt at lab. LabCorp has added new employees to support incoming specimen volume and will continue to hire additional employees as needed. Mandatory overtime is still in effect to mitigate the specimen backlog.
Some LabCorp PSCs are experiencing kit shortages due to order fulfillment constraints. LabCorp is working to send out controlled amounts of kits to PSCs from their warehouse supply but maintain that most PSC orders come directly from the vendor. The vendor is backlogged currently, reporting delays of 4 to 6 weeks.
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Alere
No testing or reporting delays currently.
Alere continues to adjust some product orders to reflect client’s current usage. This is being done to help manage inventory and meet the ordering needs of all their clients.
We appreciate your patience during this time. We will continue to provide updates as changes occur.
COMPLIANCE ALERTS:
I-9/E-VERIFY
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an extension of the flexibility in complying with requirements related to Form I 9, Employment Eligibility Verification, due to COVID 19.
This temporary guidance was set to expire on April 30, 2022. Because of ongoing precautions related to COVID 19, DHS has extended the Form I 9 requirement flexibility policy until October 31, 2022.
See the original ICE news release from March 20, 2020 for more information on how to obtain, remotely inspect, and retain copies of the identity and employment eligibility documents to complete Section 2 of Form I 9. Please also consult ICE’s guidance for clarification on this provision.
Employers must monitor the DHS and ICE's Workforce Enforcement announcements about when the extensions end and normal operations resume.
E Verify participants who meet the criteria and choose the remote inspection option should continue to follow current guidance and create cases for their new hires within three business days from the date of hire. Please see USCIS’s COVID 19 webpage for more information. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Client Success Representative.
