VDAP is a TRAP: How the Alabama Board of Nursing Sets Nurses Up to Fail
The Alabama Board of Nursing often presents the Voluntary Disciplinary Alternative Program (VDAP) as a compassionate lifeline for nurses who face allegations involving substance use or mental health issues. It’s advertised as a private, non-disciplinary path that lets nurses avoid formal charges and public discipline. On paper, it sounds like a second chance. But in reality, for many nurses, VDAP is not a lifeline—it’s a trap. Click here to learn more about lawyer for nurses in alabama.
Once a nurse signs onto VDAP, they are bound by an inflexible, punitive system that gives the Board nearly unlimited power to control every aspect of their career and life. The program is presented as “voluntary,” yet it’s often offered in moments of panic—when a nurse is terrified, alone, and unrepresented by legal counsel. Many don’t fully understand the long-term consequences until it’s too late. By then, they’ve unknowingly waived key rights and protections they might have had under a formal disciplinary process.
Nurses enrolled in VDAP are subjected to harsh monitoring conditions that include frequent drug testing, mandatory therapy, restricted work environments, and an indefinite suspension of career growth. Even one misstep—missing a test, scheduling conflicts, or a misunderstood communication—can lead to termination from the program and full disciplinary proceedings. This turns VDAP from an “alternative” into a fast track to license suspension or revocation.
The psychological toll is enormous. Nurses report feeling criminalized and constantly under suspicion. The program lacks transparency and accountability, with no clear path to appeal unfair conditions or advocate for modifications. Nurses struggling with mental health or addiction are not treated with care or compassion—they are treated like liabilities.
Kreps Law Firm has seen firsthand how damaging VDAP can be for nurses who enter without fully understanding the risks. The firm has represented countless professionals who were misled into believing VDAP would protect their license, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of punishment. Kreps fights to expose the truth behind the program and to defend nurses who deserve real due process—not coercion wrapped in the language of help.
Before signing anything, nurses should always consult an attorney. Because once you’re in VDAP, getting out isn’t easy—and the cost could be your career.