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TDLR reports progress on veterinary-board attachment: new licensing database, lower backlog, staffing gains
Summary
Officials from the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and TDLR reported progress midway through a four-year temporary attachment, including a new licensing database, publicly available disciplinary histories, reduced case backlog and lower staff turnover.
Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners leaders and TDLR staff told the commission they are about halfway through a four-year temporary attachment and reported substantive operational improvements, including a new licensing database, reduced complaints backlog and staffing gains.
Steve Gola, presiding officer of the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, said the board had arrived in “crisis” but that the attachment to TDLR has been “transformative.” Gola said the board inherited long-standing problems including years-old complaint backlogs and failures in required inspections; the board and TDLR staff worked collaboratively to address those issues.
Britney (executive director of the veterinary board) told commissioners the board and TDLR, with support from the Department of Information Resources, procured and launched a new licensing database that went live in August. The new system, she said, makes disciplinary histories and cease-and-desist orders publicly available for the first time, allows licensees to renew and apply online, and improved case processing speed.
Britney reported the agency’s previous multiyear backlog of complaints awaiting medical review has been reduced and that she expects the board to be fully caught up within about three months. She said the agency added six investigators, many with prior law-enforcement experience, and that agency headcount has grown by over a third following legislative appropriations. Staff turnover reportedly has fallen from a 60% annual rate in FY 2022 to less than 10% annually during the current period.
Commissioners and presenters said the website redesign, completed in March, and a comprehensive rules review are underway. Gola said the attachment model — temporarily assigning TDLR staff to the veterinary board to provide operational support — allowed the board to rebuild processes and improve transparency.
No formal vote or policy action was taken; commissioners thanked staff and encouraged continuation of the work during the remaining two years of the attachment. Britney said renewals are now typically processed within two to three days.
