Legislative Update
جولائی 8 ، 2026کو شائع ہوا
The 2026 General Assembly session brought important changes affecting the veterinary profession in Virginia.
- HB 1287: Board of Veterinary Medicine; applications for licensure or renewal; indication of interest to serve as a veterinarian for a public or private animal shelter. Directs the Board of Veterinary Medicine to amend its applications for licensure and renewal of licensure to allow applicants to indicate interest in serving as a veterinarian for public or private animal shelters and to provide disclosure that, if the applicant indicates such interest, the Board shall provide the applicant's name and contact information to the State Veterinarian for inclusion on a list distributed to animal shelters quarterly.
- SB 331: Board of Veterinary Medicine; traineeships. Expands eligibility for veterinary traineeship programs to include (i) graduates of an American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited college of veterinary medicine who have not yet passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE); and (ii) registrants in the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) program who have taken and received a passing score on the NAVLE and have completed all steps of the ECFVG program except for the clinical proficiency examination. This law requires regulatory action before the board can begin to accept applications for traineeships. You can follow the progress of board regulations through Virginia’s Regulatory Town Hall by searching Actions Underway for the Board of Veterinary Medicine.
As a reminder, all newly enacted laws take effect on July 1 unless a different enactment date is indicated.
