Board of Veterinary Medicine public meetings in 2023
6 substantive meetings from 2023, with official agendas or minutes and plain-English summaries.
Board of Veterinary Medicine
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine will meet to discuss financial matters including the proposed FY 2025 budget, rulemaking projects such as repealing the letter of reference requirement and allowing electronic meetings, and various licensing and disciplinary issues. The board will also hear updates on litigation and consider consent agenda opinions on veterinary practice questions.
- Proposed Budget for FY 2025
- Rulemaking: Repeal of Letter of Reference Requirement for Applicants
- Rulemaking: Expedited Licensure for Active Military and Spouses
- Disciplinary reviews for license renewals (Cedric Dennis, CAET; Sharie Davidson, DVM)
- Executive session on civil litigation (LBVM vs. O. Nyzhnyk and Pelican Institute vs. LBVM)
The Board of Veterinary Medicine approved the proposed FY 2025 budget and a new disaster recovery and business continuity policy. It also adopted changes to license renewal declarations and established disciplinary protocols for expired licensees residing in Louisiana.
- Approved proposed FY 2025 budget (unanimous)
- Approved Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity policy (unanimous)
- Approved amendments to renewal declaration questions and application changes (unanimous)
- Approved disciplinary actions for expired LA licensees, including DEA notification and cease & desist letters (unanimous)
- Approved osteopathy education for Ms. Anais Musso (unanimous)
- Approved Texas Equine Dental School as approved training for layperson dental assistants (unanimous)
- Ratified 42 new licenses and certificates issued between 09/13/23 and 11/15/23 (unanimous)
- Approved NAVLE retake waiver for Marie Faucheux, DVM (unanimous)
Board of Veterinary Medicine
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine will consider updates to rules, including repealing the letter-of-reference requirement for applicants and expediting licensure for active military and spouses. The board will also vote on proposed consent-agenda opinions on topics like DACA recipient licensure, telemedicine, and record release. Additionally, the board will hold administrative hearings on two disciplinary cases and decide on multiple waiver requests for NAVLE and VTNE retakes.
- Rulemaking update: Repeal of letter-of-reference requirement for applicants (LAC 46LXXXV.301.801.1201)
- Discussion: Defining online vs. in-person/live continuing education
- Consent agenda opinions: DACA recipient licensure, telemedicine legality, record release for unpaid services
- Administrative hearings: Case #23-0501 L-NC and Case #23-1207 L-NC
- Waiver requests: 7 DVM NAVLE retake waivers and 2 RVT VTNE retake waivers
The Board ratified 122 new licenses and certificates and approved several exam waivers for DVM and RVT applicants. Two consent orders were approved for malpractice, resulting in fines and a public reprimand. The Board also updated its purchasing policy and approved 2024 meeting dates.
- Approved 122 new licenses and certificates (unanimous)
- Fined licensee $1,500 and $500 investigation cost for surgical sponge left in patient (Case #23-0501)
- Fined licensee $1,000 and $1,000 investigation cost with public reprimand for malpractice (Case #23-1207)
- Approved amended Policy 5.04 removing second signature requirement for purchases over $3,000 (unanimous)
- Approved 7% maximum employee wage increase for FY 2025 budget (unanimous)
- Approved 9 NAVLE/VTNE exam retake waivers for applicants (unanimous)
- Approved Inactive Retired status for 5 DVMs (unanimous)
- Approved 2024 meeting dates: Feb 1, Apr 4, Jun 6, Aug 1, Oct 3, Dec 5 (unanimous)
Board of Veterinary Medicine
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine is holding a special meeting in executive session to discuss confidential matters regarding specific applicants and licensees. The meeting was rescheduled due to a weather-related facility problem. No public business or continuing education credit is available.
- Savannah Welch, RVT – Waiver Request of VTNE Retake
- Mary Todd, DVM – Waiver Request of NAVLE Retake
- Douglas Margarucci, DVM – Waiver Request of NAVLE Retake
The Board of Veterinary Medicine approved three requests to waive national exam retake requirements for licensure. Additionally, the Board voted to reverse a previous decision to deny a licensure application.
- Approved VTNE retake waiver for Savannah Welch (unanimous)
- Approved NAVLE retake waiver for Mary Todd (unanimous)
- Approved NAVLE retake waiver for Douglas Margarucci (unanimous)
- Approved reversal of application denial for Tristan Doyle (unanimous)
Board of Veterinary Medicine
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine will hold a regular meeting to approve financial reports and minutes, discuss rulemaking projects including expedited licensure for military members and repeal of letter of reference requirements, and consider multiple waiver requests for licensing exam retakes. The board will also review contract renewals for accounting, IT, and legal services, and enter executive session for updates on civil litigation and potential practice act violations.
- Contract renewals for accounting (Pinell & Martinez), IT (Client Technology Services, Thentia Global), and legal (Thibaut, Thibaut & Vogt)
- Rulemaking to repeal letter of reference requirement for applicants (LAC 46LXXXV.301.801.1201)
- Discussion on defining online vs. in-person continuing education
- Eight waiver requests for NAVLE or VTNE retakes from individual applicants
- Executive session updates on civil litigation (Equine Dentistry case) and multiple potential practice act violations
The Board elected Dr. Trisha Marullo as President and approved amended budgets for FY2023 and FY2024. Several multi-year service contracts for accounting and IT were renewed, and the Board denied a petition to repeal a rule regarding NAVLE retake waivers.
- Elected Dr. Trisha Marullo (President), Dr. Larry Findley, Sr. (Vice-President), and Dr. Keri Cataldo-Rogers (Secretary-Treasurer) for FY2024
- Approved amended FY2023 and FY2024 budgets (unanimous)
- Renewed 3-year contracts for Pinell & Martinez, LLC, Client Technology Services, LLC, and Thentia Global Systems USA Inc
- Renewed legal services contract with Thibaut, Thibaut & Vogt, LLC with a 27% hourly rate increase
- Approved purchase of six tablets for electronic board books (unanimous)
- Decided licensees must complete at least 50% of continuing education hours in person
- Denied petition to repeal rule regarding NAVLE retake waivers for out-of-state applicants (unanimous)
- Approved 37 new licenses and certificates issued between 03/11/23 and 05/05/23
Board of Veterinary Medicine
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine will consider updates to preceptorship requirements for DVM licensure, a contract with Thentia for a data dump report, and possible software for online board books. The board will also discuss expedited licensure for active military and spouses, and hear waiver requests for preceptorship and NAVLE/VTNE retakes. Several consent agenda opinions on telehealth, controlled substances, and scope of practice are proposed for approval.
- Approval request for Thentia contract for data dump report
- Possible software for online board books & tablet purchase authorization
- Rulemaking update: LAC 46LXXXV.Chapter 12 preceptorship requirement for DVM licensure
- Discussion: expedited licensure for active military and spouses
- Waiver requests for preceptorship and NAVLE/VTNE retake from Matthew Barnhart, DVM, Sarah Leteff, RVT, and Corinne C. Mayer, DVM
The Board approved a proposal to grant licensees up to six annual continuing education hours for attending board meetings. It also authorized participation in the Department of Justice’s Occupational Licensing Review Program for FY2024 and approved two software contracts with Thentia.
- Approved participation in DOJ’s Occupational Licensing Review Program for FY2024 (unanimous)
- Approved $2,250 and $1,575 contracts with Thentia for data reporting and portal updates (unanimous)
- Approved granting up to 6 annual CE hours for attending board meetings (unanimous)
- Ratified 16 professional opinions regarding practice acts and regulations (unanimous)
- Approved licensure waivers for Matthew Barnhart, Sarah Leteff, and Corinne C. Mayer (unanimous)
- Ratified issuance of new DVM, RVT, and CAET licenses (unanimous)
- Declined to adopt a formal policy for complaints against non-licensees (unanimous)
- Accepted January and February 2023 financial reports and investment report (unanimous)
Board of Veterinary Medicine
The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine will hold a regular meeting to discuss and potentially vote on rulemaking projects, including updates to the preceptorship requirement for DVM licensure and expedited licensure for active military. The board will also consider several waiver requests from applicants and a licensee, and review financial reports and consent agenda opinions on various practice questions. An executive session will address litigation and potential practice act violations by non-licensees.
- Rulemaking update on preceptorship requirement for DVM licensure (LAC 46LXXXV.Chapter 12)
- Proposal for expedited licensure for active military and spouses
- Six waiver requests for preceptorship or NAVLE/VTNE retake from DVM and RVT applicants
- Administrative hearing on Case #19-0405 – Petition for Consent Order Modification
- Executive session updates on civil litigation (equine dentistry) and claims of non-licensee practicing veterinary medicine
The Board approved a Notice of Intent to stop requiring letters of reference for licensure applications starting July 1, 2024. The Board also ratified several practice opinions, including the determination that transvaginal oocyte aspiration is a surgical procedure requiring a license. Multiple preceptorship waivers for DVM applicants were approved.
- Approved removal of letter of reference requirement for licensure applications effective July 1, 2024 (Unanimous)
- Determined transvaginal oocyte aspiration is a surgery and requires a veterinary license (Unanimous)
- Approved maximum of six in-person CE credit hours for LVMA Board meeting attendance (Unanimous)
- Approved preceptorship waivers for Savannah Burch, Carolina Collazos, Kaitlin Dever, and Delaney Oxford (Unanimous)
- Approved waiver of NAVLE retake and preceptorship for Sara Ochoa (Unanimous)
- Approved waiver of VTNE retake for Brittany Zak (Unanimous)
- Approved modification of consent order for Case #19-0405 to remove individual therapy requirement (Unanimous)
- Approved attendance at the July FARB conference in Alexandria, VA (Unanimous)