Veterinary Medical Board hears petition from Dr. Jeffrey A. Bleah seeking early termination of probation

A hearing on a petition for early termination or modification of probation for Dr. Jeffrey Allen Bleah was held Jan. 16, 2025 before the Veterinary Medical Board and an Administrative Law Judge.

Administrative Law Judge Marcy Larson opened the procedural portion of the hearing, explained the sequence for evidence and testimony and told petitioner, “You will not receive a decision today. After the matter has been submitted for the board's consideration, we will go into closed session.” Deputy Attorney General Stephanie Alamo Latif appeared on behalf of the People of the State of California and summarized the disciplinary history and exhibits.

Nut graf: The petition asks the board to end or alter probation that began with a stipulated settlement effective Sept. 21, 2022 and followed an interim suspension and a first amended accusation filed Feb. 11, 2022. Dr. Bleah testified that he has completed continuing education, paid cost recovery, submitted letters of recommendation and that he has spent the probation period educating other practitioners on record keeping and other regulatory issues.

Board staff and the deputy attorney general moved 13 exhibits into evidence (exhibits 1–13) including jurisdictional documents, the stipulated decision and order, the first amended accusation, the petition for early termination, a narrative statement by the petitioner, five letters of recommendation, a CV, cost-recovery payment information, continuing-education certificates, performance evaluations, AAEP roundtable information, correspondence on compounding, and a probation compliance report showing current compliance. The exhibits were admitted without objection.

Petitioner testimony: Dr. Bleah, who identified himself as the holder of veterinarian license No. VET11928, described the period of license suspension (January–September 2022), the terms of the September 2022 stipulated settlement placing his license on three years' probation (projected to end September 2025), and the steps he said he has taken since reinstatement. He described continuing-education presentations and webinars he has given on record keeping, participation in industry roundtables and studies related to racetrack diagnostics and sudden-death research, and work as an equine medical director liaising with the California Horse Racing Board and UC Davis laboratories. He told the board: “I respectfully request early termination of my probation.”

On specific charges identified in the first amended accusation—prescribing, dispensing, and administering controlled substances, dangerous drugs, and non–FDA-approved drugs without a documented examination or medical necessity—Dr. Bleah told the board he left private practice in July 2021 and that during the suspension period he reviewed practice acts from multiple states and focused on record keeping. When asked how he addressed the allegation that medications were given without examinations and medical necessity, Dr. Bleah said he considered examinations to be part of a continuum of daily care at the racetrack and that he had established veterinarian–client–patient relationships (VCPRs) and conducted repeated examinations, but conceded that he did not consistently record those encounters in SOAP format in patient records: “I was in violation for not recording that information. Correct.” He described changes he now teaches practitioners, emphasizing daily, timely SOAP documentation and use of electronic templates.

Questions from board members addressed: which continuing-education credits were completed to satisfy probation terms; why Dr. Bleah cited limited ability to take CE while suspended (he said he was advised by counsel not to 'hold himself out' while suspended); specifics about his role in racetrack diagnostic studies and the outcome of a PET study (he told the board the study established a 96‑hour interval as a safe window to perform PET diagnostics before a race); his involvement with compounding and CHRB rulemaking (he said CHRB worked with the board and other stakeholders to clarify compounding language); and whether he contests the factual basis of the stipulated settlement (he said he would not relitigate the stipulated settlement and acknowledged the admissions underlying the discipline but emphasized rehabilitation and professional contributions since the settlement).

Formal outcome: After testimony and questioning the matter was submitted to the board for deliberation. No decision was rendered at the meeting; ALJ Marcy Larson confirmed the board would deliberate in closed session and issue a written decision later. The record was closed at the end of the hearing.

Ending: The Board will consider the petition in closed session and release a written decision; the petition package and exhibits remain part of the administrative record.