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Veterinary Medical Board reports faster licensing and a jump in inspections, asks for narrow changes to owner-exemption
Summary
The Veterinary Medical Board told lawmakers it has reduced processing times, increased inspections and closed more complaints after merging inspection and enforcement units, but the board and stakeholders urged a narrowly drawn revision to the owner-exemption to prevent unlicensed practitioners from harming animals.
The California Veterinary Medical Board told a joint Assembly and Senate sunset hearing that it has streamlined licensing and enforcement processes, increased inspections and adopted a strategic plan aimed at expanding access to veterinary services while strengthening consumer protections.
Board president Maria Salasito, vice president Christy Pawlowski and executive officer Jessica Seiferman summarized reforms the board has implemented since its last sunset review, including electronic exam reporting via the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), more efficient subject-matter-expert (SME) screening, quarterly SME roundtables and a merger of inspection and enforcement units.
What the board reported - Licensing and testing: The board implemented an interface with AAVSB to receive electronic exam scores directly, shortening score-reporting wait times from as long as six weeks to under one week, the board said. - Inspections and enforcement: After merging inspection and enforcement units, the board reported a 343% increase in inspections and said it closed 262% more complaints in the most recent fiscal year compared with the earlier baseline cited in testimony. The board has also added consultants to screen enforcement cases before SME review, reducing SME cycle times. - Mobile inspection app and strategic planning: The board and the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology received a $600,000 grant for development of a mobile inspection application, which launched in November 2024 and is expected to streamline inspections. The board also adopted a 2024–28 strategic plan with more than 40 objectives and nearly 200 tasks; staff said more than half of the tasks are completed after one year.
Owner-exemption and scope-of-practice concerns A central focus of legislative questioning was the board’s review of the “owner exemption,” a statutory provision that permits owners to administer certain care to animals they own. Several members and multiple public commenters said the current exemption’s breadth has allowed non-licensed individuals to provide care, sometimes in ways that harmed animals (complaints included alleged surgeries or procedures carried out by rescues or breeders in unlicensed settings). The board and numerous stakeholders urged a narrowly drawn revision to the owner-exemption to restore its original purpose — they said it was meant primarily to cover livestock and food-animal husbandry — while protecting legitimate owner activities (e.g., on-farm husbandry and livestock care).
Other issues raised Stakeholders and board members discussed limited access to veterinary care in underserved urban and rural communities; workforce retention amid student debt; drug compounding and availability (noting ophthalmic and IV fluids as examples); coordination with the California Department of Food and Agriculture on avian flu response; telehealth rules and standards of care; and the board’s constrained reserve policy (a 10-month maximum in statute) that differs from other Department of Consumer Affairs boards.
Workload and complaints The board reported historically rising complaint volumes: testimony cited roughly 1,800 complaints in one recent year and more than 2,000 in the current tracking period. Board witnesses said higher complaint counts are consistent with increases in animal ownership and cultural changes that treat pets as family members.
Stakeholder positions Shelters, veterinary associations and breed and rescue groups asked legislators to preserve owner-exemption language that permits certain care by owners and shelters while supporting a targeted statutory fix that prevents unlicensed practitioners from performing surgeries or complex procedures. Some practitioner groups and allied professions urged clearer pathways for collaboration under veterinarian supervision, especially for rehabilitative and physical-therapy services. The board said it will continue outreach to identify underserved areas using renewal-data demographic fields and plans to begin targeted outreach and analysis within the year.
Next steps The board recommended continued statutory authority with a focused approach to revise the owner-exemption language and asked for additional flexibility on reserves. It proposed refining subject-matter-expert selection language for disciplinary reviews and continuing partnerships to address drug compounding availability via the Board of Pharmacy.
