Federal agencies are required by law to develop a plan to achieve a drug-free workforce. The IRS Drug-Free Workplace Plan mandates annual random testing of at least 10 percent of the total Testing Designated Positions population (these are employees in sensitive positions). In addition, applicants who are tentatively selected for IRS Criminal Investigation positions must undergo drug testing before their appointment. We assessed the effectiveness of the IRS Drug-Free Workplace Program (DFWP) in identifying and testing IRS employees for illegal drug use.
What did we find?The IRS did not conduct reasonable suspicion testing for employees suspected of illegal drug use during this period, even though evidence of suspected drug use existed. For example, IRS Human Capital Office management provided a list of five employees where drug use was suspected in Fiscal Year 2024, however testing was not conducted. In addition, from October 2022 through April 2025, our Office of Investigations (OI) received investigation referrals for 78 employees based on allegations of illegal drug issues. OI opened investigations into 22 of these employees for potential drug issues and referred 11 employees to the Department of Justice for prosecution but the Department of Justice declined. The disciplinary actions for these 11 employees ranged from no discipline to suspension. For more information:
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