Coming Back from Treatment: The Return-to-Duty Roadmap

May 28

By Sheamus Moran, CSC-AD
Certified Substance Abuse Counselor
In association with The National Law Enforcement & First Responders Wellness Center at Harbor of Grace

"I've been in treatment for three months, and for the first time in years, I feel like myself again. I'm sleeping better, my relationship with my family is healing, and I actually look forward to getting up in the morning. But now I have to figure out how to go back to the job that contributed to my problems in the first place. I'm scared that returning to work will undo all the progress I've made, but I'm also scared that my department won't trust me anymore. How do I prove I'm ready to come back without compromising everything I've learned about taking care of myself?"

This concern, shared by a firefighter preparing to return from a 90-day treatment program, captures the complex challenge that many first responders face when transitioning from treatment back to active duty. The return-to-duty process involves navigating medical evaluations, legal requirements, workplace politics, and personal recovery needs while rebuilding professional relationships and demonstrating fitness for critical public safety responsibilities.

Returning to first responder work after treatment for substance use disorders or mental health conditions requires careful planning, clear communication, and strategic thinking about how to maintain recovery while resuming high-stress, high-responsibility work. The process involves multiple stakeholders—treatment providers, department administrators, occupational health professionals, union representatives, and family members—each with different perspectives on readiness and safety considerations.

Success in return-to-duty requires balancing transparency about recovery progress with strategic protection of privacy, demonstrating fitness for duty while advocating for necessary accommodations, and rebuilding professional relationships while maintaining recovery boundaries. Most importantly, it requires developing sustainable strategies for maintaining recovery gains while returning to environments that may have contributed to initial problems.

Understanding the Return-to-Duty Process

The return-to-duty process for first responders varies significantly by agency, jurisdiction, and the nature of the original leave, but most involve formal fitness-for-duty evaluations, medical clearances, and administrative reviews that determine whether individuals are ready to resume full responsibilities safely.

Legal and Regulatory Framework
Return-to-duty processes are governed by multiple legal frameworks including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), state and local employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, and agency-specific policies. Understanding these frameworks helps first responders know their rights and responsibilities throughout the process.

The ADA provides certain protections for individuals with substance use disorders who are in recovery, but these protections have limitations for safety-sensitive positions where public welfare is involved. Employers can require that employees in safety-sensitive positions meet specific fitness standards and can require abstinence from illegal drug use, but they cannot discriminate against individuals solely based on history of addiction if they meet current job requirements.

FMLA may provide job protection during treatment periods, but return-to-duty requirements still apply. Some first responders are eligible for worker's compensation benefits if their conditions are determined to be work-related, which can affect both treatment funding and return-to-duty timelines.

Types of Fitness-for-Duty Evaluations
Most agencies require comprehensive fitness-for-duty evaluations before clearing first responders to return to active duty after mental health or substance use treatment. These evaluations typically include medical assessments, psychological evaluations, and functional capacity assessments that examine ability to perform essential job functions safely.

Medical evaluations focus on physical health, medication effects, and any ongoing medical treatments that might affect job performance. Psychological evaluations assess mental health status, coping skills, judgment, and emotional stability under stress. Functional capacity assessments may include scenario-based testing, decision-making evaluations, and assessment of skills specific to first responder duties.

The evaluation process can take several weeks or months and may require multiple appointments with different specialists. Understanding what these evaluations involve can help first responders prepare appropriately and ensure that evaluations accurately reflect their current capabilities and recovery status.

Administrative Review Processes
Beyond medical and psychological clearances, most agencies have administrative review processes that consider employment history, nature of original problems, treatment completion, ongoing recovery plans, and risk management considerations. These reviews often involve multiple department personnel including human resources, occupational health, supervisors, and sometimes legal counsel.

Administrative reviews may consider factors like previous disciplinary actions, performance evaluations, community impact of original incidents, and public trust considerations that extend beyond medical fitness. Understanding these broader considerations helps first responders prepare comprehensive cases for their return-to-duty requests.

Preparing for Fitness-for-Duty Evaluations

Success in fitness-for-duty evaluations requires thorough preparation, honest self-assessment, and strategic presentation of recovery progress and ongoing maintenance plans.

Documentation and Record Preparation
Gather comprehensive documentation of treatment participation, recovery progress, and ongoing support systems. This includes treatment completion certificates, therapy attendance records, drug test results, medication compliance documentation, and letters from treatment providers supporting return-to-duty.

Prepare detailed recovery maintenance plans that demonstrate ongoing commitment to sobriety and mental health. These plans should include therapy schedules, support group participation, sponsor relationships, stress management strategies, and specific plans for handling work-related triggers or challenges.

Document any skills training, education, or professional development completed during treatment leave that demonstrates continued commitment to professional growth and job competency. Many first responders use treatment periods to complete training they couldn't pursue while struggling with addiction or mental health issues.

Mental Health Assessment Preparation
Psychological evaluations for return-to-duty often focus on decision-making abilities, emotional regulation, stress tolerance, and judgment under pressure. Prepare for these assessments by honestly reviewing your current capabilities and any remaining areas of concern.

Practice explaining your recovery process, current coping strategies, and specific plans for maintaining mental health while returning to high-stress work. Be prepared to discuss how you'll handle situations that previously triggered substance use or mental health symptoms.

Consider requesting that psychological evaluations include input from treatment providers who know your progress intimately rather than relying solely on brief assessments by evaluators who don't know your history or recovery journey.

Physical and Functional Capacity Preparation
If treatment leave involved significant time away from physical duties, you may need to rebuild fitness levels before return-to-duty evaluations. Many agencies require demonstration of physical fitness standards that may have declined during treatment periods.

Practice job-specific skills that may have become rusty during extended leave periods. This might include firearms qualifications, driving assessments, medical procedures, or other technical skills that require regular practice to maintain proficiency.

If ongoing medications are part of your recovery plan, understand how these might affect job performance and be prepared to discuss accommodation strategies with evaluators. Some medications used in addiction treatment or mental health care can affect reaction times, attention, or other capabilities relevant to first responder duties.

Scenario-Based Assessment Preparation
Many fitness-for-duty evaluations include scenario-based assessments that test decision-making, stress response, and judgment in situations similar to those encountered on duty. Prepare for these assessments by reviewing policies and procedures, practicing de-escalation techniques, and thinking through how you would handle common challenging situations.

Consider how your recovery experience might actually improve your job performance. Many first responders find that treatment provides better stress management skills, improved communication abilities, and enhanced empathy that make them more effective at their jobs.

Disclosure Decisions: What to Share and When

One of the most challenging aspects of return-to-duty is deciding what information to disclose about treatment experiences, ongoing recovery needs, and potential workplace accommodations. These decisions require balancing honesty and transparency with privacy protection and career preservation.

Understanding Disclosure Requirements vs. Choices
Distinguish between information that must be disclosed (such as medication use that affects job performance) and information that's optional to share (such as specific details about treatment experiences or personal recovery activities). Understanding these distinctions helps you make strategic decisions about what to reveal.

Generally, you must disclose any ongoing conditions or treatments that could affect your ability to perform essential job functions safely. This includes medications that affect cognitive function, ongoing therapy requirements that affect scheduling, or accommodation needs that require workplace modifications.

You typically don't need to disclose specific details about treatment experiences, personal recovery activities like support group participation, or family impacts of your condition unless these directly affect your work capabilities or accommodation needs.

Strategic Disclosure Planning
Develop a disclosure strategy that provides necessary information while maintaining appropriate privacy boundaries. This might involve sharing information in phases—providing basic information initially and additional details only if specific questions arise or accommodations are needed.

Consider who needs to know what information. Supervisors may need to know about scheduling accommodations for therapy appointments, but they don't need details about specific treatment modalities or personal recovery activities. Occupational health personnel may need medical information that supervisors don't require.

Prepare clear, factual statements about your condition and recovery that avoid unnecessary detail while providing confidence in your fitness for duty. Focus on current capabilities rather than past problems, and emphasize positive changes and ongoing maintenance strategies.

Timing of Disclosure
The timing of disclosure can significantly affect how information is received and processed. Early disclosure during the return-to-duty process allows for accommodation planning and demonstrates transparency, but it also provides more time for concerns or objections to develop.

Late disclosure might feel safer initially but can create trust issues if supervisors or administrators feel that important information was withheld. Generally, disclosing accommodation needs early in the process while maintaining privacy about details that don't affect work performance is the most effective approach.

Managing Disclosure Consequences
Prepare for various reactions to disclosure, including support, skepticism, accommodation offers, and potential resistance. Have strategies ready for addressing concerns, providing additional information if requested, and advocating for fair treatment based on current capabilities rather than past problems.

Document all disclosure conversations and decisions to protect yourself if questions arise later about what information was shared when. This documentation can be important for legal protection and ensuring consistent communication across multiple interactions.

Workplace Accommodations and Modifications

Many first responders returning from treatment benefit from workplace accommodations that support ongoing recovery while allowing them to perform essential job functions effectively. Understanding available accommodations and how to request them can significantly improve return-to-duty success.

Types of Available Accommodations
Schedule modifications are among the most common accommodations for first responders in recovery. This might include flexible scheduling for therapy appointments, modified shift patterns that support sleep schedules important for mental health, or time off for support group participation or medical appointments.

Duty modifications might involve temporary or permanent changes to specific responsibilities that could trigger relapse or mental health symptoms. For example, a police officer might request temporary assignment away from narcotics investigations, or a paramedic might request temporary assignment to lower-stress units while rebuilding confidence and coping skills.

Environmental accommodations could include workspace modifications that reduce stress or triggers, assignment to different facilities or units, or modifications to social situations that might involve alcohol or other triggers.

The Accommodation Request Process
Accommodation requests typically go through human resources or occupational health departments and require medical documentation supporting the need for specific modifications. Prepare detailed requests that explain what accommodations are needed, why they're necessary for your recovery, and how they can be implemented without compromising essential job functions.

Work with treatment providers to develop accommodation recommendations that are specific, time-limited when appropriate, and clearly connected to your recovery needs. Vague or open-ended requests are less likely to be approved than specific, well-justified modifications.

Consider both immediate accommodation needs and longer-term adjustments that might be helpful as you rebuild confidence and stability in your recovery. Some accommodations might be needed immediately upon return, while others might become important after you've been back at work for several months.

Balancing Accommodations with Job Requirements
Accommodations must allow you to perform the essential functions of your job without creating undue hardship for your employer. Understanding which aspects of your job are essential versus which are marginal can help identify where accommodations are possible.

Work with supervisors and human resources to develop creative solutions that meet your recovery needs while maintaining operational effectiveness. This might involve job sharing, cross-training with colleagues, or developing backup plans for situations where accommodations might affect service delivery.

Be prepared to demonstrate that requested accommodations will actually improve rather than compromise your job performance by supporting your recovery and mental health. Many supervisors are more receptive to accommodations when they understand how these modifications support better overall performance.

Monitoring and Adjusting Accommodations
Accommodations may need to be adjusted as your recovery progresses and circumstances change. Build in regular review periods to assess whether current accommodations are still necessary, sufficient, or need modification.

Communicate proactively with supervisors about how accommodations are working and any adjustments that might be needed. This ongoing communication demonstrates responsibility and helps maintain positive working relationships.

Be prepared to reduce or eliminate accommodations as your recovery strengthens and confidence builds. Many first responders find that accommodations needed initially upon return-to-duty become unnecessary after several months of successful reintegration.

Rebuilding Professional Relationships

Returning to work after treatment often involves rebuilding relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and community members who may have concerns about your reliability, judgment, or fitness for duty. Successfully rebuilding these relationships requires patience, consistency, and strategic communication.

Addressing Colleague Concerns and Skepticism
Colleagues may have mixed reactions to your return, ranging from supportive welcome to skeptical concern about your ability to perform reliably under pressure. Prepare for these varied reactions and develop strategies for addressing concerns without becoming defensive or oversharing personal information.

Focus on demonstrating reliability and competence through consistent performance rather than trying to convince colleagues through verbal explanations alone. Your actions over time will be more persuasive than any initial conversations about your readiness to return.

Some colleagues may feel uncomfortable around you initially, either because they're concerned about your stability or because they're worried about their own substance use or mental health issues. Give relationships time to rebuild naturally rather than forcing interactions or trying to address every concern immediately.

Supervisor Relationship Management
Your relationship with immediate supervisors is crucial for successful reintegration. Supervisors may feel uncertain about how to manage someone returning from treatment, what they can or should ask about your condition, and how to balance support with accountability.

Initiate regular check-ins with supervisors to discuss your performance, any challenges you're experiencing, and how workplace accommodations are functioning. This proactive communication demonstrates responsibility and helps supervisors feel informed about your progress.

Be transparent about ongoing recovery needs that affect work while maintaining appropriate boundaries about personal recovery activities. Supervisors need to know if you have therapy appointments or other recovery-related commitments that affect scheduling, but they don't need details about your personal recovery work.

Community and Public Relations Considerations
First responders work in public roles where community trust and confidence are essential for effectiveness. Your return-to-duty may involve considerations about public perception, media attention, or community concerns about your fitness for duty.

In some cases, agencies may want to manage public communication about your return to address community concerns proactively. Work with your agency's public information officers or administrators to develop communication strategies that protect your privacy while addressing legitimate public concerns.

Consider whether voluntary community service or public education activities related to wellness and recovery might help rebuild public trust while supporting your own recovery through service to others.

Peer Support and Mentorship
Identify colleagues who can provide support and mentorship during your reintegration period. These might be individuals who have gone through similar experiences, supervisors who are committed to supporting your success, or colleagues who have strong wellness and recovery awareness.

Consider whether participating in peer support programs within your agency might be helpful both for your own recovery and for supporting other colleagues who might be struggling with similar issues.

Some first responders find that their treatment experience helps them become valuable resources for colleagues facing similar challenges, creating opportunities to rebuild relationships while contributing to workplace wellness.

Maintaining Recovery While Returning to Stress

One of the biggest challenges in return-to-duty is maintaining recovery gains while returning to high-stress environments that may have contributed to original problems. This requires careful planning, strong support systems, and ongoing vigilance about recovery maintenance.

Stress Management and Coping Strategy Implementation
Review and practice the stress management techniques learned during treatment before returning to work. These skills need to be thoroughly integrated and readily accessible during high-stress situations where there's no time for lengthy coping procedures.

Develop specific plans for handling the types of stressful situations you'll encounter at work. This might include brief breathing techniques that can be used during emergency calls, quick grounding exercises for traumatic scenes, or communication strategies for difficult interpersonal situations.

Consider how shift work, sleep disruption, and irregular schedules will affect your recovery maintenance and develop strategies for managing these challenges. Sleep hygiene, nutrition planning, and exercise scheduling become more complex but more important when returning to irregular work schedules.

Trigger Identification and Management
Identify potential triggers you might encounter at work that could threaten your recovery. These might include exposure to alcohol or drugs at incident scenes, high-stress emergency calls that previously led to substance use, or workplace social situations that involve drinking.

Develop specific strategies for handling identified triggers when they occur. This might include having sponsor contact available during difficult calls, using brief coping techniques between incidents, or having plans for healthy decompression after particularly challenging shifts.

Create support plans for handling unexpected triggers that weren't anticipated during treatment. Have multiple strategies available and backup support options when primary coping methods aren't sufficient for particular situations.

Recovery Routine Integration
Develop sustainable recovery routines that work with your work schedule and job demands. This might involve flexible therapy scheduling, portable meeting attendance through online platforms, or modified exercise routines that accommodate shift work.

Plan for maintaining recovery support systems while working irregular hours. This might involve multiple sponsor relationships, online support group participation, or therapy appointments that can be scheduled around shift rotations.

Build recovery activities into your work routine when possible. This might include brief meditation during equipment checks, gratitude practices during report writing, or recovery podcast listening during transportation times.

Ongoing Recovery Monitoring
Establish systems for monitoring your recovery stability and identifying early warning signs of increased risk. This might involve regular self-assessment checklists, feedback from family members or sponsors, or structured check-ins with treatment providers.

Plan regular reviews of your recovery status with treatment providers who understand the challenges of first responder work. These reviews can help identify necessary adjustments to treatment plans, medication management, or coping strategies as you gain experience with return-to-duty challenges.

Develop contingency plans for periods when work stress threatens recovery stability. This might involve temporary duty modifications, intensive outpatient support, or other interventions that can be implemented quickly when needed.

Legal Protections and Rights

Understanding your legal rights and protections during the return-to-duty process helps ensure fair treatment and provides recourse if discrimination or inappropriate barriers to return occur.

Americans with Disabilities Act Protections
The ADA provides certain protections for individuals with substance use disorders who are in recovery, but these protections have specific limitations for safety-sensitive positions. Generally, you cannot be discriminated against based solely on your history of addiction if you meet current job requirements and pose no direct threat to safety.

Employers can require that employees in safety-sensitive positions remain drug-free and can require fitness-for-duty evaluations, but they cannot impose blanket exclusions based on history of treatment for substance use disorders. Any restrictions must be based on current inability to perform essential job functions safely.

The ADA requires employers to engage in good faith interactive processes to identify reasonable accommodations that would allow you to perform essential job functions. Document all accommodation discussions and requests to protect your rights throughout the process.

Family and Medical Leave Act Coverage
FMLA may provide job protection during treatment periods and requires that you be returned to the same or equivalent position upon completion of covered leave. However, you must still meet return-to-duty requirements and demonstrate fitness for safety-sensitive responsibilities.

Understanding FMLA certification requirements, notice provisions, and coverage limitations helps ensure that you maintain eligibility for job protection throughout treatment and return-to-duty processes.

Workers' Compensation Considerations
If your condition is determined to be work-related, workers' compensation may cover treatment costs and provide disability benefits during treatment periods. However, workers' compensation systems often have specific return-to-duty requirements and may involve different fitness-for-duty evaluation processes.

Work-related determinations can affect both benefits eligibility and return-to-duty timelines. Understanding your workers' compensation rights and obligations helps ensure proper benefit utilization and compliance with system requirements.

Union Representation and Support
If you're represented by a union, understand what support and representation options are available during the return-to-duty process. Many unions have specific expertise in handling fitness-for-duty issues and can provide advocacy and representation during evaluation and administrative review processes.

Union contracts often include specific provisions about fitness-for-duty procedures, accommodation processes, and appeal rights that may provide additional protections beyond general employment law requirements.

Grievance and Appeal Processes
Understand what appeal or grievance processes are available if you disagree with fitness-for-duty determinations, accommodation decisions, or other aspects of the return-to-duty process. These processes often have specific time limits and procedural requirements that must be followed precisely.

Document all interactions, decisions, and communications throughout the return-to-duty process to support any appeals or grievances that might become necessary. Keep copies of all medical documentation, evaluation reports, and correspondence related to your return-to-duty request.

Long-Term Success Strategies

Successful return-to-duty extends beyond initial reintegration to building sustainable patterns of work performance and recovery maintenance that support long-term career success and personal wellness.

Career Development and Growth Planning
Consider how your treatment experience and recovery journey might affect your long-term career goals and development opportunities. Some first responders find that their recovery experience opens new opportunities in wellness, training, or peer support roles within their agencies.

Develop professional development plans that support both career advancement and recovery maintenance. This might involve pursuing training in stress management, crisis intervention, or wellness programming that benefits both your agency and your personal recovery.

Consider whether leadership opportunities related to workplace wellness might be meaningful ways to contribute to your agency while supporting your own recovery through service to others.

Ongoing Professional Support
Maintain relationships with treatment providers who understand first responder work and can provide ongoing support as challenges arise throughout your career. Regular check-ins with therapists or counselors familiar with your history can help address emerging issues before they threaten recovery stability.

Consider participating in first responder wellness programs or peer support initiatives that provide ongoing professional development and recovery support within your field.

Stay connected with other first responders in recovery who can provide understanding, support, and practical advice for managing long-term recovery while working in emergency services.

Family and Personal Life Integration
Develop strategies for maintaining healthy work-life balance that supports both job performance and family relationships. Your family has likely been affected by your original problems and treatment process, and ongoing attention to family wellness supports both personal recovery and professional success.

Consider family therapy or counseling that helps family members understand and support your return-to-duty process while addressing any ongoing concerns or relationship issues that need attention.

Plan for how work stress, shift schedules, and job demands will affect family life and recovery activities, and develop strategies for managing these competing demands effectively.

Crisis Planning and Contingency Development
Develop detailed plans for handling future crises or challenges that might threaten recovery stability. This includes both work-related crises (such as particularly traumatic incidents) and personal crises (such as family problems or health issues) that could affect your ability to maintain recovery while working.

Create support networks and intervention strategies that can be activated quickly when warning signs appear or stressful periods develop. This might involve temporary increases in therapy frequency, intensive outpatient support, or temporary duty modifications during particularly challenging periods.

Establish clear criteria for recognizing when additional help is needed and remove barriers to accessing that help quickly. Many first responder agencies now have protocols for providing rapid access to mental health and addiction support when employees recognize they need help.

Success Stories and Encouragement

Many first responders have successfully returned to productive, fulfilling careers after treatment for substance use disorders or mental health conditions. These success stories provide hope and practical guidance for managing the return-to-duty process effectively.

Career Enhancement Through Recovery
Many first responders find that their recovery experience actually enhances their job performance by providing better stress management skills, improved communication abilities, and enhanced empathy for people in crisis. The self-awareness and coping skills developed during treatment often translate into more effective leadership, better decision-making under pressure, and stronger relationships with colleagues and community members.

Some first responders discover that their treatment experience opens new career opportunities within their agencies, such as peer support roles, training positions, or wellness program development that allows them to help colleagues while advancing their own careers.

Recovery as Professional Development
Treatment and recovery provide skills and insights that are valuable in first responder work: crisis intervention techniques, stress management strategies, communication skills, and understanding of mental health and addiction issues that are increasingly important in emergency service work.

Many agencies now recognize that employees who have successfully addressed mental health or addiction issues can be valuable resources for supporting workplace wellness and helping other employees who might be struggling with similar challenges.

Long-Term Career Success
First responders who successfully return from treatment often report higher job satisfaction, better family relationships, improved physical health, and stronger sense of purpose in their work than they experienced before addressing their problems.

The skills and perspectives gained through recovery often lead to promotions, leadership opportunities, and specialized assignments that utilize their enhanced understanding of human behavior, crisis intervention, and stress management.

Conclusion: Recovery as Professional Strength

Returning to first responder work after treatment for substance use disorders or mental health conditions is challenging, but it's also an opportunity to demonstrate that seeking help and addressing problems represents professional strength rather than weakness. The return-to-duty process, while complex and sometimes stressful, provides an opportunity to rebuild your career on a foundation of health, self-awareness, and effective coping skills.

The skills and insights gained through treatment often make first responders more effective at their jobs, not less. Better stress management, enhanced communication abilities, deeper empathy for people in crisis, and stronger self-awareness are all valuable professional assets that can enhance job performance and career advancement opportunities.

Your successful return-to-duty sends a powerful message to colleagues, supervisors, and community members that mental health and addiction problems are treatable conditions that don't disqualify someone from serving others effectively. Your example may encourage other first responders to seek help when they need it, knowing that treatment can lead to enhanced rather than compromised career opportunities.

The return-to-duty process requires patience, planning, and persistence, but it's a worthwhile investment in both your career and your personal well-being. The same courage and commitment that made you an effective first responder will serve you well as you navigate the challenges of returning to work while maintaining your recovery.

Remember that recovery is an ongoing process, not a destination. Returning to work is one step in a lifelong journey of maintaining wellness while serving others. The strategies you develop for managing work stress, maintaining recovery, and building healthy relationships will serve you throughout your career and contribute to long-term success both professionally and personally.

Your commitment to recovery and your dedication to serving others are not competing priorities—they're complementary strengths that reinforce each other. Taking care of yourself enables you to take better care of others, and serving your community with integrity and competence supports your own sense of purpose and recovery motivation.

The badge you wear represents a commitment to excellence in service to others. That commitment includes maintaining your own health and wellness so you can serve at your best while building a life that supports both your professional calling and your personal recovery. Your successful return-to-duty is a victory not just for you and your family, but for everyone who benefits from having healthy, well-trained, recovery-conscious first responders protecting and serving their communities.

Sheamus Moran, CSC-AD, is a certified substance abuse counselor specializing in first responder mental health, addiction treatment, and return-to-duty support. With over a decade of experience working with law enforcement, fire service, and EMS personnel, he provides individual therapy, consultation services, and training programs focused on first responder wellness and recovery. This article is written in association with The National Law Enforcement & First Responders Wellness Center at Harbor of Grace.

Return-to-Duty Resources:

Legal Rights Information: [Links to ADA, FMLA, and employment law resources for first responders]
Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation Preparation: [Guides for preparing for medical and psychological evaluations]
Accommodation Request Templates: [Sample documentation for requesting workplace accommodations]
Union Support Resources: [Contact information for union representatives with return-to-duty experience]
Ongoing Recovery Support: [Resources for maintaining recovery while working in first responder roles]

The content of this article represents the independent views and research of The Call Box organization and does not represent the official positions or endorsements of The National Law Enforcement & First Responders Wellness Center at Harbor of Grace.

If you're preparing for return-to-duty after treatment, seek support from qualified professionals who understand both first responder culture and addiction recovery. Professional guidance can help ensure that your return-to-duty process supports both your career goals and your long-term recovery success.