South Carolina Amends Drug Use Provision of Unemployment Benefits Law: Employment Law Manual Updated

Author: XpertHR Editorial Team

South Carolina amended its unemployment benefits law regarding the ineligibility of employees terminated for illegal drug use. The amendment, which became effective immediately upon approval by the governor, requires that a blood, hair or urine specimen that tests positive for illegal or unlawful drug use must be collected and labeled by a licensed health care professional or other authorized individual. In addition, the test must be performed by a laboratory certified by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the College of American Pathologists or the State Law Enforcement Division. Finally, an initial positive test must be confirmed using the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method or an equivalent method.

In light of this development, the following South Carolina sections of the Employment Law Manual have been updated:

• Legally Required Benefits;
• Employee Discipline;
• Involuntary Terminations;
• Employee Handbooks - Work Rules - Employee Conduct; and
• Employee Privacy.