Frequently Asked Questions

Question: If my Group is scheduled at 8:00 p.m., what time do I need to be in my Group?

Answer: No later than 8:00 p.m. sharp. Groups and all scheduled activities begin on time, without exception. You are required to be in your activity at the start time. This is a State Of California requirement.

Question: What do I do if I arrive at the Group or Education Room door after the start time and the door is closed?

Answer: You will not be allowed into your class or group. You will be charged with an absence and the absence fee will be added to your account.

Question: What if I know that I will not be able to attend a scheduled class?

Answer: Contact our office at any time before the class start time and request a Prearranged Absence. When granted, you will still be charged the Absence fee but the absence will not be counted toward your allowable absences.

Question: I’m in the 3 or 4 Month First Offender Program. How many absences am I allowed?

Answer: You may accrue up to 5 absences. Anything over that and you may be dismissed for not following program guidelines of excessive absences.

Question: I’m in the 18 Month Multiple Offender Program. How many absences am I allowed?

Answer: You may accrue up to 10 absences. Anything over that and you may be dismissed for not following program guidelines of excessive absences.

Question: As a 3 or 4 Month program participant, may I attend all three self-help meetings in one month?

Answer: No. The frequency of meeting attendance is a requirement of our contract with the San Diego County Department of Alcohol and Drug Services and cannot be modified.

Question: May I schedule my Group Sessions and Education Classes on the same day?

Answer: This program is designed to provide an intensive learning experience and the length of each service would not make same day scheduling an optimal experience. You may however, schedule a face-to-face on the same day as group if the counseling schedule allows it. There are several mid-day services which allow for same-day programming. Please contact our Administrative staff for current schedules.

Question: What generally happens if I’m dismissed from the program?

Answer: When the program dismisses you for cause, a San Diego County Status Report is completed, reviewed and approved. A copy is sent to you via First Class Mail, a copy is placed in your case file and the original is sent to the Probation Department/Assessment Unit. Your name is removed from all rosters, and you will not be allowed to attend any activities at this Program. You will need to go to court and request a reinstatement order from the court. This may cost you an additional fee with the court. Depending upon the reason for your termination, this Program has the right to refuse your reinstatement. If that is the case, you will be assigned to another program within the County. If you are reinstated to this Program, you must call and make a reinstatement appointment. You will be given an appointment date and time. Do not just show up.

Question: How soon after being dismissed from the program do I need to return to Court for a Reinstatement Order?

Answer: As soon as possible after receiving your dismissal paper work from us.

Question: How do I get a reinstatement order?

Answer: If you are a multiple offender, you must report back to your Probation Officer. If you are a first offender, you need to report to the Probation Department’s Substance Abuse Assessment Unit (SAAU). If you have not reported back a warrant for your arrest could be issued two to three weeks after your dismissal.

Question: How many months do I need to attend?

Answer: That depends upon which program you were ordered to attend. Generally, first offenders will attend a three, six or nine month program. Multiple offenders will be ordered to an 18 month program, which is broken down into 12 months of Group and Education Classes, and 6 months of Re-entry Sessions.

Question: As a first offender, why was I ordered to attend a 9 month program and not a 3 or 4 month program or a 6 month program?

Answer: If the Court has ordered you to a nine month first offender program, your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was 0.20 or above, or the Court’s Assessment Unit recommended a nine month program to the Court.

Question: May I enroll in your program before I go to court.

Answer: Provided you can bring evidence of your offense and your Blood Alcohol Content was .08 or higher, you may enroll under the DMV’s Admin. per se law. Call the office to set an appointment.

Question: What happens if I do not show up for enrollment?

Answer: Not something you want to do, but should circumstances prevent you from making your appointment, call to reschedule your appointment. If you fail to make an appointment for enrollment or fail to attend the enrollment within the prescribed time set by the Court of Conviction, your name and case will be sent back to the Court as a failure to enroll. Depending on the jurisdiction, you may have a warrant issued for your arrest.

Question: What happens if I don’t make an appointment for enrollment by the time stated by the Court?

Answer: You will be required to go back to the court and request an extension or reinstatement order from the Court Clerk or the Judge. Be prepared to pay an additional processing fee to the court.

Question: What special rules are imposed on my attendance?

Answer: There are many and they are all spelled out in the Program’s Rules and Regulations. You are given a copy and you are expected to read and follow them.

Question: Can I mail in my monthly payment?

Answer: Yes. Please make certain that your name is printed on your money order or Cashier’s Check, along with your Client ID and Group Number. We do not accept personal checks. Your payment cannot be credited if we cannot determine who it’s from. Mail your payment to: SDSU DUIP, 9245 Sky Park Court, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92123-4311. Your receipt will be mailed to the address we have on file.

Question: Can I make a Credit Card Payment over the telephone?

Answer: Yes, as long as you provide the type of credit card, account number and expiration date, and the charge is accepted by the card center.

Question: What is Suspend Services?

Answer: Suspend Services is a State of California mandated classification given to all Participants who, after receiving a notice that they are 30 days behind in their payments and do not correct the financial problem, are automatically placed into a Suspension status and given 15 additional days to rectify the payment problem or be dismissed from the program. During this suspension period, you may not attend any Group, Education or Re-entry activity. However, you must keep scheduled Face-to-face interviews. Failure to do so for more than 21-days, will cause your dismissal from the program.

Question: What happens if I don’t rectify the financial problem at the end of the 15 day suspension period?

Answer: You may be dismissed from the Program and referred back to the Court of Conviction.

Question: How do I rectify the financial problem?

Answer: Pay the amount owed or schedule a Financial Assessment Interview by contacting our Accounting Department at extension 116 or 117. Please read the FAI instructions before calling.

Question: What is a Financial Assessment Interview (FAI)?

Answer: Once you have signed your payment contract, if your financial situation changes and you are unable to make your scheduled payments, you may schedule an FAI. During the FAI, an Accounting Representative will evaluate your need for further extended payments or a minimum fee contract. You may attend only one FAI per 30 day period.

Question: I understand that if I do not attend a scheduled FAI, that I may be dismissed for failing to attend. Is this true?

Answer: Yes. California regulations require you to keep the appointment. If you do not, you may reschedule an FAI appointment within 10 days of the missed appointment. However, should you fail to reschedule, or fail to attend the rescheduled appointment, or bring your account current, you may be dismissed.

Question: How do I schedule an FAI?

Answer: You may request an appointment by calling our Accounting Department at (858) 467-6810 – extension 116 or 117 – please read the FAI instructions BEFORE calling.

Question: How does an individual who is on County General Relief, pay for the program?

Answer: People eligible for General Relief may receive a minimum fee contract. You must provide a copy of your Award Letter/Form to the program and have a single persons income that is equal to or less than the amount offered by the county as General Relief. You must prove your eligibility once each month in order to maintain the minimum fee rate. Program Fees are reduced to $10.00 per month. All other charges are also reduced to $5.00 or $10.00 per charge.

Question: What is my Grace period for making my monthly payment?

Answer: There is no grace period for making payments. Your payment date is based on the day of the month you enrolled. Your payment is always due on that same day of each month. Since most payments are made in person, you may not have a class scheduled on your payment due date. Therefore, we allow a 10 day payment period which allows you to be at the Program during that period to make your payment. If you do not make your monthly payment within the 10 day period, a late fee will be added to your account balance on the 11th day.

Question: When do I need to pay absence and late Fees?

Answer: Fees and charges which are added to your account during the month, are due and payable on the monthly scheduled payment following the date of the charge. For example: if your account is current and you are absent from your group during the month, your account will be charged the current absence fee. When you make you next monthly payment, you are required to pay the monthly charge and the absence fee. If you do not, the absence fee(s) may cause your account to become behind in your payment amount, and could result in your dismissal.

Question: Should I misplace the original DL-101, can I obtain a duplicate copy of my Completions Certificate?

Answer: Yes. The fee for a replacement DL-101 is currently $15.

Question: I want to go on vacation. What’s required before I’m granted a Leave of Absence (LOA)?

Answer: Click here to see the LOA instructions or request instructions from the Front Office Staff. Please Note: A vacation LOA requires that you must be current with all fees and classes.

Question: What is the minimum and maximum leave of absence?

Answer: There is no minimum. Under a contract with the County Alcohol and Drug Services, the actual length of time depends on the purpose for the LOA. The maximum is 24 months.

Question: I’m in the military and I’ve been ordered to deploy for six months. What do I do about the program?

Answer: See the Front Office as soon as possible or call our office and request an LOA for the time you believe you will be gone.

Question: I’m on a work assignment and I’m not going to return when first believed. What should I do?

Answer: Contact this program’s LOA Clerk by telephone (858.467.6810 – ext. 131), letter or FAX (858.467.6822) BEFORE your LOA return date.

Question: What happens if I don’t return from my LOA as scheduled?

Answer: You are allowed 10 days from the end date of your LOA to come in person and reschedule your activities. If you do not do so, you may be dismissed from the program. A telephone call is not acceptable.

Question: When I return back to the program from LOA, what should I do?

Answer: You must report to the Front Office in order to be rescheduled back into group and classes. You may not go directly to your old group because your space in that group is no longer available. You may request your old group, but there may not be space in the requested group or education class.

Question: How is confidentiality maintained in the Program?

Answer: Your confidentiality is very important to this program. We go to great lengths to maintain your privacy, including closing doors during counseling and keeping files in a locked room which only certain staff can access. You are asked at initial enrollment in the program to provide an emergency contact name and number. In addition you are asked to complete and sign a Confidentiality Statement which states the names of persons with whom we can discuss your case. Inquiries about your enrollment, attendance and other aspects of your case are never given out without your prior permission except as provided by law.

Question: If I have a question about my participation in the Program, who do I contact?

Answer: Your Counselor can answer most of your questions or direct you to the proper personnel.

Question: What is a DL-101 Certificate of Completion?

Answer: After successfully completing this Program, you will be issued a DMV Form DL-101, Notice of Completion Certificate. This is your official document that states you have completed all requirements of the program. All Notice of Completion Certificates are processed electronically and are on file at the DMV by the next day. You will receive a copy by mail.

Question: Why can’t I get my Certificate of Completion the same day I complete the Program?

Answer: It takes the program several days to process your program completion. After a review of your case file is made, the certificate information is transmitted to Sacramento and normally is available to local DMV offices the next day. A copy is mailed to your last known address. It is very important that your address is current at the time of your completion. If you are not sure we have your current address, check with the front office before you leave.