CASAC Certification in New York: Requirements, Cost & How to Apply
- by Everett Wolf
The CASAC (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor) is New York State’s primary credential for addiction counselors. If you work in, or want to work in, substance use disorder treatment in New York, the CASAC is what the state requires. This guide covers every requirement, the application process, what the exam involves, and what it will cost you.
Table of Contents
What CASAC Means
CASAC stands for Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor. It is issued and overseen by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), which sets the education, experience, and examination standards.
CASAC is New York’s equivalent of the CADC credential used in many other states. Unlike states that use the IC&RC or NAADAC credential frameworks as their primary mechanism, New York runs its own credentialing program through OASAS, though the CASAC examination uses the IC&RC’s ADC exam.
The CASAC is intended for individuals who provide direct clinical services in substance use disorder settings: assessment, counseling, treatment planning, case management, and related work.
CASAC-T: Starting as a Trainee
Before earning the full CASAC, most candidates enter under CASAC-T (Trainee) status. CASAC-T allows you to work in a licensed SUD program under supervision while you accumulate the required hours toward full CASAC certification. There is no exam required for CASAC-T.
CASAC-T is a practical pathway for people who are new to the field and need to build supervised hours before they qualify for full credentialing.
Full CASAC Requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum education | High school diploma or GED |
| Specialized training hours | 350 clock hours |
| Supervised experience | 6,000 hours |
| Supervised practical training | 300 hours (within the 6,000) |
| Exam | IC&RC ADC exam (150 questions) |
| Renewal cycle | Every 3 years |
To qualify for the full CASAC credential, you must meet all of the following:
Education
- Minimum: high school diploma or GED
- 350 clock hours of specialized education and training in substance use disorder counseling
- Required content areas include counseling theory, pharmacology, assessment, treatment planning, ethics, co-occurring disorders, and case management
- Ethics training is required as part of the 350 hours
OASAS maintains a list of approved education providers. CEU Matrix is approved by NAADAC (Provider #6310) and IC&RC, and its courses meet the continuing education and training standards recognized in New York.
Supervised Experience
- 6,000 hours of supervised work experience in an approved SUD setting
- Within those 6,000 hours: a minimum of 300 hours of supervised practical training focused directly on the core CASAC competency areas
- Supervision must be provided by a qualified supervisor, typically a CASAC with appropriate credentials
The 5-year application window means you have up to five years to compile and submit your documentation once you begin the application process; you are not required to submit everything at once.
Examination
The CASAC uses the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) Exam, a standardized computer-based exam covering:
- Screening and assessment
- Treatment planning and coordination
- Counseling skills and interventions
- Case management
- Crisis intervention
- Client education
- Professional and ethical responsibilities
The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions. You must pass the IC&RC ADC exam to receive the full CASAC credential.
Background Check
All CASAC applicants must complete a criminal background check review through OASAS. Your application will not be fully processed until the background check is cleared.
Application Process
- Create an account on the OASAS online credentialing portal
- Apply for CASAC-T if you have not yet completed your hours (this allows you to begin working toward supervised experience in a licensed setting)
- Complete your education hours through an approved provider
- Accumulate 6,000 supervised experience hours with the required 300 hours of practical supervision
- Submit your CASAC application with documentation: education transcripts or certificates, employer verification of hours, and supervisor attestations
- Pass the IC&RC ADC exam (you can sit for the exam once OASAS approves your application to test)
- Clear the background check
- Receive your CASAC credential and note your renewal date
OASAS allows you to submit and upload documents incrementally over the five-year period. You do not need to wait until everything is complete before opening an application.
CASAC Exam Prep
The IC&RC ADC exam tests your knowledge of the eight core performance domains. New York CASAC candidates should focus on:
- Ethics: Questions about ethical responsibilities appear throughout the exam, not just in a dedicated section
- Assessment and treatment planning: These are heavily weighted domains on the ADC
- The Twelve Core Functions: CASAC training programs structure coursework around these foundational competencies, and the exam tests their practical application
- Case study format: Some exam versions include scenario-based questions, so practice applying knowledge to client situations, not just recalling definitions
The ADC is structured around eight performance domains, and reviewing CADC certification requirements and ADC exam preparation before you sit gives you the domain weights and question format.
CASAC Renewal
The CASAC renews every three years. Renewal requires 60 hours of continuing education per three-year cycle, including a minimum of 6 hours in ethics. CEU Matrix offers self-paced OASAS-aligned CE courses that meet New York’s renewal requirements, including dedicated ethics coursework.
Cost Breakdown
| Cost Component | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Education (350 hours) | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| CASAC application fee | $150, paid to OASAS through the online Credentialing Management System |
| IC&RC ADC exam fee | $150 to $250 |
| Background check | $25 to $75 |
| CASAC-T registration | Minimal |
The education component is the largest expense. Self-paced online programs from approved providers are generally the lowest-cost option, particularly for counselors who are already working in a licensed setting. The OASAS application fee is $150, paid through the online Credentialing Management System — OASAS has retired paper applications.
What to Verify Before You Begin
OASAS updates its requirements periodically. Before enrolling in education or starting your application, confirm the current hour requirements and approved provider list directly with OASAS at oasas.ny.gov. Requirements are state-specific and can change between credentialing cycles.
CASAC Credential Levels in New York
New York’s OASAS credentialing system includes more than a single CASAC tier. Understanding where each credential fits helps counselors plan their career path from entry level through advanced clinical roles.
The foundational credential is the CASAC, covered throughout this guide. Before the full CASAC, OASAS also recognizes CASAC-Provisional (CASAC-P) — a credential status for candidates who have completed all CASAC requirements (the 350 hours of education, the 6,000 supervised work hours, and the 300 hours of practical training) except passing the IC&RC ADC exam. CASAC-P lets qualified candidates continue working in licensed SUD programs while they prepare for and complete the exam, after which they convert to the full CASAC.
Beyond the CASAC, OASAS recognizes a CASAC-Advanced credential for counselors who have moved further into clinical leadership. CASAC-Advanced is built on top of the standard CASAC and requires: (1) a bachelor’s degree in an approved human services field, and (2) 30 hours of Clinical Supervision Foundations (CSF) training — specifically CSF I (14 hours) and CSF II (16 hours). It is intended for counselors who are taking on greater clinical responsibility and supervisory roles within licensed SUD programs.
OASAS also has a credentialing pathway for clinical supervisors operating in licensed treatment programs. Supervisors in these settings are expected to hold appropriate credentials that demonstrate both clinical competency and supervisory capacity. OASAS guidelines specify who qualifies to provide the required supervision for CASAC and CASAC-T candidates, which means your supervisor’s credentials directly affect whether your hours count toward your own certification.
Portability and the IC&RC connection
New York’s CASAC is issued exclusively by OASAS and operates somewhat differently from IC&RC-member credentials used in most other states. While the CASAC examination uses the IC&RC ADC exam, New York is not a standard IC&RC membership state in the same reciprocal sense as states that operate directly under the IC&RC framework. This matters for portability.
If you hold a New York CASAC and relocate to another state, you will generally need to apply for that state’s credential through its own board. The IC&RC ADC exam you passed is widely recognized, which typically streamlines the process, but you should not assume automatic reciprocity. Each state evaluates applicants under its own standards.
Conversely, counselors who hold a CAADC (Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor) or similar advanced IC&RC credential from another state may qualify for an equivalency evaluation when applying in New York. OASAS reviews these applications on a case-by-case basis to determine how prior credentials and hours translate.
CEU Matrix is a NAADAC-approved provider (Provider #6310), and its courses count toward OASAS-aligned continuing education requirements at every credential level.
Working as a CASAC in New York: Scope of Practice
The CASAC authorizes counselors to provide direct clinical services within OASAS-licensed substance use disorder treatment programs. Specifically, CASAC holders are qualified to conduct client assessments, develop individualized treatment plans, deliver individual and group counseling, provide case management, and offer client education. These are the core functions that New York law requires to be performed by credentialed personnel in licensed SUD programs.
The CASAC is required for any counselor delivering direct clinical services in those settings. Support roles such as peer specialists or paraprofessionals operating in recovery support functions do not require the CASAC, but anyone providing counseling services within a licensed program does.
One important boundary: the CASAC does not authorize independent clinical practice. A CASAC credential qualifies you to work within the structure of a licensed SUD treatment program, not to open an independent practice or provide services outside of that program structure. Independent clinical practice in New York requires a licensed clinical credential: most commonly an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), or LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), combined with appropriate SUD training and experience.
This is the standard career progression for counselors who want to move toward independent or private practice:
- CASAC-T (Trainee): entry point for candidates who are still accumulating supervised hours
- CASAC-P (Provisional): for candidates who have met all CASAC requirements except passing the IC&RC ADC exam
- CASAC: full credential for direct services in licensed programs once the ADC exam is passed
- CASAC-Advanced: for counselors with a bachelor’s degree in an approved human services field plus the 30-hour Clinical Supervision Foundations training, taking on greater clinical and supervisory responsibility
- LCSW, LMHC, or LMFT: licensed clinical credential that enables independent practice, with SUD training integrated throughout
Many counselors pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work, counseling, or a related field alongside their CASAC work, building toward licensure while gaining supervised clinical hours in SUD settings.
CEU Matrix renewal courses cover the competency areas required at every stage of this progression, from CASAC initial certification through advanced renewal and licensed clinical practice. For counselors across all states, the overview of CADC certification requirements provides useful context on how credentials compare nationally.