New DEA Training Requirement Takes Effect June 27

Who Is Impacted, Eligible Training, and Attestation

As mandated by the federal Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021, beginning June 27, 2023, prescribers of controlled substances in schedules II, III, IV, and V must complete a one-time eight-hour training on managing patients with substance use disorders prior to their first registration or renewal of their Drug Enforcement Agency license.  

This means the eight-hour training requirement must be met before:

• Applying for a DEA license for the first time on/after June 27, 2023; or
• One’s next DEA license renewal date on/after June 27, 2023.

This is a one-time DEA requirement. Once you’ve attested to completing eight hours of required training, you will not need to complete additional training for subsequent DEA renewals. It is important to note that for medical licensure in Michigan, physicians must still obtain three hours of training on pain and symptom management every 3-year licensure cycle.

Who Needs to Complete the New DEA Training?

Physicians who finished residency more than five years ago and prescribe schedules II through V medication will be required to attest they’ve completed the training when they obtain/renew their DEA license on/after June 27, 2023.

Physicians who graduated from residency within five years of June 27, 2023, and successfully completed a comprehensive curriculum that included at least eight hours of training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, including the appropriate clinical use of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a substance use disorder, do not need to complete additional training; the new DEA training requirement is deemed as having been met through coursework.

Physicians who are board certified in addiction medicine from the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Board of Addiction Medicine, or American Osteopathic Association are deemed to have already satisfied this training.

What Training is Eligible for Meeting the Requirement?

Many past live and virtual trainings count toward the requirement, including training that physicians may have received in order to obtain an x-waiver (also known as the DATA 2000 waiver) previously required for prescribing buprenorphine. (Note: The x-waiver is no longer required. On Jan. 12, 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and DEA issued guidance on the removal of the X-waiver, as eliminated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.)

The training doesn’t need to occur in one session; it can be cumulative across multiple sessions that equal eight hours of training.

As an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, American Academy of Family Physicians' continuing medical education activities which cover opioid use disorder, substance use disorder, pain management, substance misuse, and/or other related topics may count toward this new training requirement.

One such option is AAFP’s virtual, on-demand Substance Use Disorders training, approved for up to 17.75 CME credits through Oct. 15, 2024.

How Do I Attest?

When you apply for/renew your DEA license, you will be asked to check a box attesting you completed the eight-hour training requirement.

If you completed residency five years ago or less, you should check the box indicating you graduated within the previous five years and have satisfied the training requirement.

You will not be required to provide documentation. However, you must be able to provide documentation if you are ever requested to do so (e.g., CME certificate, letter of participation, course overviews if you’re in medical school or residency).