News & Events
News!
Governor Hobbs signs telemedicine bill (Senate Bill 1053) -- Effective October 30, 2023:
On May 8, 2023, Governor Hobbs signed SB1053, which allows a VCPR to be established by electronic means in many circumstances and if certain requirements are met. This does not apply to animals used in commercial food production.
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Investigative Committee Public Member & Veterinarian Openings:
The Board is now accepting Volunteer Candidate applications to serve on the Board's Investigative Committee. The volunteers' primary role is to conduct a review of a complaint case and make a recommendation to the Board regarding whether a violation of the Veterinary Practice Act has occurred; the Board reviews all cases. Prior to meetings, the IC members review case file materials on their own time. The committee meets the 1st or 2nd Tuesday of each month. By law, the committee consists of 3 licensed veterinarians and two members of the general public.
There is an opening for a public member on the "PM" committee; this group's meeting begins at 1:00 p.m. and often runs to 4:30-5:00 p.m.
There is also an opening for a veterinarian member on the "AM" committee; this group's meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. and typically runs to 11:30 a.m. - noon.
If you may be interested, please complete the Investigative Committee Candidate Information Form which can be found under the "Forms" tab.
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Changes in the Arizona Veterinary Practice Act effective September 24, 2022:
HB2626 created two new sections in the Arizona Veterinary Practice Act (statutes):
1. Section A.R.S. 32-2239.02: Duty of veterinarian to scan for presence of microchip; owner notification
2. Section A.R.S. 32-2297: Duty of animal crematory licensee to scan for presence of microchip; exception
Also, HB2612 impacted most licensing boards and removed the requirement for veterinarians and Certified Veterinary Technician applicants to be "of good moral character." This means that Moral Character Reference forms are no longer required with veterinary license and CVT certificate applications as of September 24, 2022.
For the full text of the revised Arizona Veterinary Practice Act (statutes), please see the Statutes and Rules page.
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Scam Alert - Licensing Boards and DEA Being Spoofed
Some state boards (not AZ) are reporting that licensees are receiving phone calls from people claiming to be staff from the licensing board or law enforcement in an attempt to obtain sensitive license or personal information. The callers will often falsely claim that the licensee is under investigation or that their license is in danger of being suspended. The phone number that appears on the caller ID can sometimes appear authentic. This is a common fraud technique known as spoofing. If you are a licensee or certificate holder that receives a suspicious phone call, please do not share any sensitive information over the phone! Scammers appear to be impersonating DEA agents as well: https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2020/02/28/alert-dea-warns-increasing-extortion-scam-calls
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December 2019: FDA warnings about CBD. See FDA press release here.
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REQUIREMENT FOR VETERINARIANS TO COMPLY WITH ARIZONA BOARD OF PHARMACY STATUTES TO UTILIZE ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING PUT ON HOLD
On February 14, 2019, Governor Ducey signed HB 2075, a bill which in part, removed the Board of Pharmacy's waiver process for electronic prescribing. The new law states that a veterinarian is not required to comply with the electronic prescribing requirements noted in A.R.S. 36-2525(D) and (N) until the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board determines that electronic prescribing software is widely available for veterinarians and notifies the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy of that determination.
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2018 Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act - Added Requirements for Veterinarians as of April 26, 2018!
See information under the "Statutes & Rules" tab above.
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For DEA questions, please contact the DEA Phoenix Diversion Group at (571) 362-0600.
PLEASE SEE THE ABOVE "FORMS" TAB - PREMISES section - to view a list of DEA registered Reverse Distributors!
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LEPTOSPIROSIS UPDATE:
The Arizona Administrative Code R3-2-402 requires that veterinarians report animal cases of leptospirosis to the Arizona Department of Agriculture's Office of the State Veterinarian by the end of each month at the latest.
Veterinarians can report animal cases of leptospirosis by submitting a fax to 602-542-4290 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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“Regulation Rollback” is a strategic step in our state’s ongoing work to make Arizona the best state in the nation for businesses and consumers alike. We’ve made great progress in growing our economy and streamlining state government over the past two years. We still have a lot of work to do to make sure outdated regulations aren’t slowing us down. No longer will regulations remain in place “just because they’re on the books and nobody’s bothered to change them.”
“Regulation Rollback” is offering a new online service to crowd source recommendations on how to update Arizona’s regulatory system. At Redtape.AZ.gov, associations, organizations, and individuals across the state can recommend ways to improve or eliminate outdated regulations.
Contact the Governor’s office about an outdated rule or regulation that impacts Arizona’s consumers and job creators.
We thank you for your help in highlighting ways to improve state government and to better serve Arizonans.
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In 2017, the Board entered into an agreement with the plaintiffs in a lawsuit. The Judgment by Consent regarding animal massage can be viewed here.
