Last Updated: 2-17-2021
The federal governments of USA and Canada and several AAVSB member veterinary regulatory boards are taking special actions both in regards to rule changes for their licensees and how board business is conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, to
adhere to social distancing guidelines from the CDC.
The AAVSB is keeping a running list below of states/provinces that have modified their CE requirements, telehealth rules, or made any other special action or announcements in response to COVID-19. If your jurisdiction is not listed or
any information below
is not correct, please email AAVSB Member Concierge, Lainie Franklin, at
[email protected] to let us know.
USA Federal Government Updates
FDA - telehealth update
Be sure to read this
important announcement from the FDA regarding how
they're helping to facilitate telehealth during the pandemic.
DEA - controlled substances update regarding in-person prescribing
In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has adopted policies to allow DEA-registered practitioners to
prescribe controlled substances without having to interact in-person with their patients. Download and read the DEA's full PDF document:
How to Prescribe Controlled Substances to Patients During the COVID-19
Public Health Emergency.
DEA - controlled substances update regarding dispensing from distributor to distributor
Following the nationwide public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on January 31, 2020, as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
has learned that some DEA-registered practitioners (dispensers), such as hospitals, pharmacies, and physicians, need to distribute controlled substances to other dispensers for the purpose of general dispensing to meet increasing
demand that has arisen as a result of the public health emergency. To allow this to occur, DEA is hereby issuing a temporary exception to the pertinent regulation. Download and read the DEA's
full PDF document here.
AAVSB Member Board Updates & Resources
CE Requirements Updated (released publicly)
- Alabama - CE hours for 2020 reporting may be completed online or in-person
- Arkansas - Board Rule 092.00.1-3.7.G requires that continuing education programs be submitted to the Board at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting. While
programs must still be submitted to the Board for prior approval, the requirement that the submission be at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting is suspended until further notice.
- California - A temporary waiver allotting six additional months to obtain required continuing education for licensees who are renewal licenses that expire between March 31, 2021 and May 31, 2021.
- Delaware - CE extensions will be allowed for those unable to complete required hours during emergency declaration
- Florida - March and April CE deadline extended
- Georgia - licensees who apply to renew licenses
expiring December 31, 2020, may obtain all continuing education hours online in order to satisfy the continuing education requirements outlined within Rule 700-7-.03.
- Idaho - Until June 30, 2021, Veterinarians require (10) CE credits and Certified Veterinary Technicians require (7) CE credits for their biannual CE period
- Iowa - all CE can be done online while Governor's proclamation stays in place (set to expire September 20, 2020)
- Kansas - license renewal period extended, included CE requirement
- Kentucky - Veterinarians and veterinary technicians who missed the 2020 renewal must apply to reinstate their license by completing the Reinstatement Application located at Reinstatement Application. In 2021, veterinary technicians annual renewal is due 9/30/2021 with six (6) CE hours. For both license types, all required CE hours can be earned online per 201 KAR 16:590.
The Board has no intention to extend the CE deadline or the renewal date beyond what is currently allowable by law. Of note, Kentucky does have a "grace period" built into law, which allows for earning CE and completing the renewal up to 60 days past the deadline, effectively extending the date to November 30; however, there is a late fee for licensees who use the
grace period. For more information, see the KBVE website at www.kybve.com/continuing-education.html.
- Louisiana - For the applications cycles of 2020-2021, all licensees and certificate holders are given until June 30, 2021 to complete CE. All CE can be done online for both 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 renewal cycles.
- Maine - licensees whose licenses are scheduled to expire on or before March 20, 2021 may renew that license
without satisfying any continuing education requirements that would otherwise apply
- Maryland - RVT's and VMD's with licenses that expire June 30, 2021 can do all CE online
- Michigan - Michigan is no longer suspending CE requirements for license renewals
- Minnestota - CE time frame extended, upon written request to the board
- Mississippi - CE requirements amended through September 1, 2021
- Montana - On 8/31/2020, the Board voted to extend the CE deadline for veterinarian licensees to 1/31/2021.
Licensees are required to renew every other year.
- Nebraska - CE can be completed online
- Nevada - in-person CE requirement temporarily waived, through 2021
- New Hampshire - CE requirement waived for licensees scheduled to renew license between March 13, 2020
and December 31, 2020. For those where requirement is not waived, remote instruction CE will be acceptable until December 31, 2020.
- New Mexico - extended the waiver of contact continuing education through December 31, 2021
- New York - allowance for all self-study credits has been extended to January 1, 2022
- North Carolina - previously scheduled in-person CE that has been converted to online will be accepted as "in-person"
- Ohio - unlimited continuing education hours may be obtained online through renewal cycles of 2021 and 2022
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania - temporarily suspended restrictions on distance learning for CE
- South Carolina - for the 2019/2021 renewal cycle, licensees may obtain all CE from AAVSB RACE-approved online courses
- Tennessee - CE hours required unchanged, but will not be audited for 2020, all can be completed online for 2021
- Texas - CE requirements waived, for duration of emergency declaration period
- Utah - requirement to participate in "live" CE hours is temporarily suspended for those with license expiration dates between now and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Vermont - CE can be done online, but licensee must contact Board first
- Washington - Any from of online CE accepted through December 31, 2021
Telehealth Guidance Updated (released publicly)
- Alabama - telehealth may be used if VCPR previously established
- Arizona - allowing telehealth during emergency declaration
- California telehealth restrictions temporarily lifted during state of emergency
- Colorado - VCPR suspension has expired - veterinarians should now follow current Colorado law.
- Connecticut - relaxed rules enacted through at least June 30, 2023 through passage of HB 5596.
- Idaho - allows telehealth
- Kentucky - allows telehealth if VCPR has been established with physical exam within previous 12 months
- Maine - allows telehealth during state of emergency
- Massachusetts - board encourages telehealth if VCPR has been established
- Michigan - telehealth encouraged to be practiced, whenever feasible
- Minnesota - VCPR establishment temporarily extended to having physically examined patient or herd within last 18 months
- Mississippi - allows telehealth only if VCPR had already been established
- Pennsylvania - allows telehealth
- South Carolina - will not require physical examination to establish VCPR, only during declared state of emergency
- Texas - allows telehealth to be performed to existing clients only, new VCPR cannot be established solely through telehealth (existing statute)
- Vermont - encouraging telehealth whenever possible during emergency declaration, VCPR rules temporarily redefined
- Virginia - Guidance for Telehealth
- Washington - for the duration of emergency declaration, the board does not intend to enforce VCPR requirement
- West Virginia - allows telehealth, only during state of emergency
Jurisdictions That Have Modified Their Business Practices
- Alaska - closed to walk-in traffic
- Arizona - Applications now accepted by email to [email protected]
- British Columbia - closed to non-essential visitors, staff working remotely whenever possible
- Colorado - closed to the public, staff working remotely
- Connecticut - essential staff only in office, non-essential working remotely
- Florida - closed to public
- Georgia - working remotely, please email [email protected]
- Hawaii - physical office has limited hours, please visit http://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/veterinary/
- Iowa - working remotely
- Kansas - closed to the public: staff only in office with investigator and inspector working remotely
- Kentucky - Licensees and public should visit www.kybve.com/Kentucky-Veterinary-Covid-19-updates.html for the latest changes and announcements
- Maine - working remotely
- Maryland - working remotely
- Minnesota - closed to the public, staff working remotely until at least June 30, 2021
- Montana - working remotely
- New Hampshire - working remotely, please email [email protected]
- Nevada - working remotely, some activities may be delayed
- South Carolina - working remotely
- Tennessee - staff working in rotations, office open to public with special instructions to enter the building
- Utah - working remotely, please email [email protected]
- Virginia - board office closed to public, but all essential services being provided, please email [email protected]
- Washington - working remotely until at least December 31, 2020
Jurisdictions That Have Posted About COVID-19 on their Public Websites
The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. We are an association of veterinary medicine regulatory boards whose membership
includes licensing bodies in 62 jurisdictions, including all of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and nine Canadian provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland
and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan.
