Care management
IDCMP
Screening, evaluation, service plan, monitoring, and completion reporting.
Impaired Driver Programs
The IDCMP Process in New Hampshire: Step by Step
From the arrest to the day your license is restored, here is every requirement, every deadline, and every step in plain language — and where we help.
01 · The program
What IDCMP actually is
If you have just been charged, our plain-English guide to what happens after a New Hampshire DWI puts the full journey in order.
The Impaired Driver Care Management Program is approved by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to provide impaired driver care management and educational programming. It is part of the broader Impaired Driver Programs under He-A 500, which also includes Impaired Driver Education Programs (IDEP) and Impaired Driver Services Providers (IDSP).
An IDCMP is not a state agency. It is a private organization approved by the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services to deliver the program. That distinction surprises many clients, but it matters: we are here to guide you through the requirements, monitor your progress, and report completion or non-compliance as the rules require. (RSA 265-A:39; He-A 500)
Education
IDEP
The required impaired driver education program.
Treatment
IDSP
The approved treatment provider who delivers the treatment your service plan requires.
02 · The reason for the structure
Why New Hampshire treats this as a public health problem, not just a ticket
Before the 1980s
Impaired driving was treated largely as a traffic violation. Blood alcohol limits were not standardized, and there were no required education or treatment programs.
The 1980s
Rising alcohol-related traffic deaths brought federal pressure and funding incentives to adopt a 0.10 blood alcohol limit. New Hampshire enacted stricter DWI penalties, created administrative license suspensions separate from criminal penalties, and began requiring alcohol and drug education for first offenders.
The 1990s
New Hampshire formalized the Impaired Driver Intervention Program for first offenders and the Multiple Offender Program for second and subsequent offenders. The state introduced clinical evaluations to determine substance use disorder risk, began approving treatment providers, and tied treatment compliance to license reinstatement. DUI was recognized as a public health and safety issue, not only a criminal one.
The early 2000s
The legal limit dropped to 0.08, zero tolerance was enacted for drivers under 21 at 0.02, and ignition interlock use expanded for repeat or high-blood-alcohol offenders.
2013 onward
Administrative suspension gained more due process protections, evidence-based treatment was emphasized, data tracking and compliance monitoring improved, and in 2013 New Hampshire adopted the He-A 500 rules — “Impaired Driver Programs” — to implement RSA 265-A, particularly RSA 265-A:39 and RSA 265-A:40. (RSA 265-A:39; RSA 265-A:40)
The current rules
New Hampshire published an updated He-A 500, effective January 6, 2024. The directors of the state’s approved IDCMPs — including Chrysalis — worked with the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services to rewrite those rules, with better client outcomes and public safety as the goal.
The four goals underneath the process
- Public safety — reducing the chance of another impaired-driving incident.
- Accountability — taking responsibility for what happened and what comes next.
- Treatment first — treating substance use where it is present, rather than only punishing it.
- Compliance-based reinstatement — driving privileges returning when program and treatment requirements are met.
03 · Before intake
The documents we need from you
Bring or send a current certified copy of each of the following:
- Your driver’s license record, printed within the past 60 days, from New Hampshire; from the state where you hold your license if you are a non-resident; and from any state where you have been arrested or convicted for impaired driving. (He-A 507.01)
- Superior or district court orders, or a case summary. (He-A 507.01)
- Chemical test results, or documentation that you refused testing, whether that refusal appears in the results or in the arrest report narrative. (He-A 507.01)
- A copy of the arrest report or narrative. (He-A 507.01)
- Your criminal record. (He-A 507.01)
The required document library has the full checklist and downloadable forms.
04 · First appointment
Intake: the clock starts here
Intake and screening must happen within 14 days of conviction, or within 30 days of release from jail where jail time was required. There are narrow provisions for extenuating circumstances that may affect enrollment timeframe compliance; tell us as soon as something makes the deadline difficult. (He-A 507.01; He-A 506.03)
Intake decides whether an evaluation is needed.
You will be referred for an evaluation when any of these circumstances applies:
- A DRI-II alcohol scale score at the 50th percentile or greater.
- A DRI-II drug scale score at the 50th percentile or greater.
- A stress coping ability scale at the 90th percentile or greater.
- A DRI-II truthfulness scale score at the 90th percentile or greater.
- More than one DUI conviction in this or any other state in your lifetime.
- A refusal to submit to a urine or breath test before or during the arrest process.
- Being age 21 or over with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16 or higher at the time of arrest.
- Being under age 21 with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher at the time of arrest.
- A documented history of a substance use disorder.
- The IDCMP clinical staff’s determination that you may warrant a substance use disorder diagnosis.
These are the state’s screening and referral circumstances. An evaluation is not a judgment; it is how we understand what level of care will actually help. (He-A 507.01; He-A 507.02)
05 · Understanding your needs
Evaluation
Evaluations are conducted by New Hampshire Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors or New Hampshire Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors, following the requirements set by the state. The evaluation consists of a biopsychosocial assessment, an ASAM Level of Care determination, and a DSM diagnosis. Its purpose is to assess treatment needs and reduce recidivism through targeted intervention.
01
Biopsychosocial assessment
A fuller picture of your history, health, relationships, environment, and substance use.
02
ASAM level of care
A determination of the intensity and kind of care that fits your needs.
03
DSM diagnosis
A clinical diagnosis when one is supported by the assessment.
The evaluation happens within 30 days of conviction, or within 60 days where the client went to the House of Corrections. (He-A 507.03)
06 · Your roadmap
Your service plan
After the evaluation, IDCMP clinical staff develop the service plan with you and review it with you before it takes effect. The plan includes:
- The types and frequencies of required or recommended treatment and recovery services.
- The required timeframe for starting those services.
- Any drug or alcohol testing ordered by the court or clinically indicated.
- Any abstinence monitoring regimen.
- The requirement to complete an IDEP. (He-A 507.04)
Treatment and recovery services must begin no later than 30 days after the service plan requirements are discussed with you. (He-A 507.04)
The minimum counselling requirement with a treatment provider is 6 outpatient sessions for a client with one DWI in their lifetime, 20 sessions for a client with two DUIs, and 26 sessions for a client with three or more DUIs, all within the timeframe the service plan documents. (He-A 507.04)
Those minimums can be individualized when the evaluation shows, under ASAM criteria, that you need a higher level of care, need a different number of sessions, or would be better served by a provider other than an IDSP. When that happens, the plan is revised to reflect it. (He-A 507.04)
The plan is reviewed and updated at least every 60 days. (He-A 507.06)
If you disagree with the plan
You can request a hearing with the Department of Safety to challenge it. (RSA 265-A:40, VI; Saf-C 204.20)
07 · Keeping the plan moving
Staying compliant — and what happens if you do not
The IDCMP monitors compliance through case management meetings. Meetings are face to face or by telephone depending on your needs, and they are documented. (He-A 507.06)
What counts as non-compliance
- Not starting treatment or recovery services within the timeframe the plan sets. (He-A 507.06)
- An unexcused absence from more than one scheduled treatment or recovery appointment within any 30-day period. (He-A 507.06)
- More than one unexcused absence from scheduled case management meetings in any 30-day period. (He-A 507.06)
- Being under the influence of alcohol, an illicit substance, or a non-prescribed or over-the-counter medication at a treatment or recovery appointment, an IDEP session, or a case management meeting as confirmed by a screening. (He-A 507.06)
- Being presumed impaired at one of those appointments or sessions and refusing to submit to screening. (He-A 507.06)
- Not being abstinent when abstinence is required by the court, or when required by the service plan and the IDCMP determines after consulting your IDSP that it should be reported as non-compliance. (He-A 507.06)
- Refusing to submit to court- or plan-required drug or alcohol testing in a timely manner. (He-A 507.06)
What follows non-compliance
The IDCMP notifies the sentencing court, your prosecutor, and the DMV. We also notify you in writing that the notice was submitted. (He-A 507.06; He-A 507.08)
Path one
Return within 6 months
If, within 6 months of a notice of non-compliance, you begin, continue, or return to treatment or recovery, the IDCMP reviews and revises the existing service plan. You comply with the revised plan, and no new evaluation fee is charged. Case management fees resume as set out in He-A 505.01. (He-A 507.06)
Path two
Return after 6 months
If you do not begin, continue, or return within 6 months of that notice, a new substance use disorder evaluation is required at your expense. A new service plan must be developed before treatment can start again. (He-A 507.06)
The fastest way to protect your case is to call us the moment something goes wrong — a missed appointment, a lapse, a change in your situation. We can work with what we know.
08 · Education
The 20-hour IDEP class
The IDEP is a required IDCMP component for all clients. Its curriculum must be evidence-based and approved by the department. Group discussions cover the physiological and medical effects of toxic substances, the psychosocial effects of substance misuse, identification of substance misuse and impaired driving behaviours and patterns, the impact of psychological defence mechanisms, the impact of substance misuse on the family, social and personal attitudes toward substance misuse, the effects of substance misuse on employment, and available treatment options. (He-A 508.01; He-A 508.04)
Online option
Chrysalis runs the class frequently over Zoom.
In-person option
We also offer an in-person option in Concord.
Open to clients
Clients from any IDCMP may take our class.
09 · Finishing the program
Completion and license reinstatement
The IDCMP sends a written completion report to the sentencing court and the DMV, and enters the information into the state’s electronic records system, within 5 business days of completion. (He-A 507.07)
There are three ways completion is reached
- Screening established that no evaluation was needed, the IDEP is complete, and all He-A 500 fees are paid. (He-A 507.07)
- No treatment was referred after the evaluation, the IDEP is complete, and all fees are paid. (He-A 507.07)
- Treatment was referred, all service plan requirements are met, the IDEP is complete, and all fees are paid. (He-A 507.07)
Before the DMV can restore your license
Your period of suspension must have run out. If a motion for a reduction in the revocation period was filed, the court order must have been received by the DMV before early restoration.
- A $100 reinstatement fee is payable to the NH Department of Safety, Financial Responsibility, Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301.
- An SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility must be filed with the DMV’s Financial Responsibility division. It is not a type of insurance. It is a form your insurer files as proof your policy meets the state’s minimum liability coverage.
- For a first DWI, the SR-22 runs for 3 years from the date of suspension or conviction.
- For a second or later DWI, the SR-22 runs for 3 years starting from when you become eligible for restoration.
10 · After restoration
Interlock and probationary licence
The ignition interlock device
An ignition interlock device requires a breath test before the vehicle will start. It has a preset limit that is usually 0.02 or lower, requires random rolling retests while driving, and must be professionally installed at a certified service centre.
Regular calibration and data downloads are typically monthly or bi-monthly. The user pays the installation, monthly service, and removal fees. Requirements depend on your case.
The probationary licence
Under RSA 265-A:35, if your licence is reissued after a revocation or suspension for an offence under RSA 265:79, RSA 265-A:2, RSA 265-A:3, or RSA 265-A:43, the new licence is probationary for at least 5 years from the date of reissuance and is marked as such.
While on a probationary licence, you may not drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03 or more. That is a per se violation regardless of how you appear. A reading of 0.03 or more results in an administrative suspension of at least 90 days and up to 180 days. Refusing to submit to a test when there is reasonable cause to believe your blood alcohol concentration is 0.03 or more can result in a 90-day administrative suspension.
These DMV administrative suspensions are separate from any court-imposed penalty arising from the same incident. (RSA 265-A:35)
11 · The reason behind the questions
Why all of this matters
The numbers are serious, but they are here to inform the work — not to sensationalise it.
$58 billion
In 2019, the estimated annual economic cost of driving-impaired incidents in the United States, according to NHTSA.
127 fatal crashes
In New Hampshire in 2023. In 2022, 146 people were killed in crashes on New Hampshire roads, and about 66% of the crashes that resulted in fatalities were alcohol and or drug related.
822 people
Were killed in New Hampshire crashes from 2015 to 2021. Of them, 510 — roughly 62% — were victims of alcohol or drug-related crashes.
336 of 1,096
Drivers in deadly crashes from 2015 to 2021 tested positive for drugs.
Statistics from NHTSA and New Hampshire crash data as compiled by Chrysalis for its IDCMP training.
This is why the programme asks what it asks.
12 · Your protections
Your rights as a client
Privacy
Your personal and treatment records are private in accordance with 42 CFR Part 2, HIPAA, and applicable New Hampshire law.
Equal access
You are accepted without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, language proficiency, or ability to pay.
A grievance process
You have the right to file a grievance about program operations, provider conduct, denial or delay, or other concerns.
Access to your records
You have the right to view or receive copies of your records, service plans, screening reports, and evaluation reports, consistent with confidentiality law — the right to know what is in your own file.
A clear place to start