(a)Required Continuing Education Hours. (1)Licensed Veterinarians [Veterinary Licensees]. Seventeen (17) hours of acceptable continuing education shall be required annually for renewal of all types of Texas veterinary licenses, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. Veterinary licensees who successfully complete the Texas State Board Licensing Examination shall receive credit for 17 continuing education hours for the calendar year in which they were examined and licensed. (2)Licensed Equine Dental Providers [ Provider Licensees]. Six (6) hours of acceptable continuing education shall be required annually for renewal of Texas equine dental provider licenses. (3)Licensed Veterinary Technicians. Ten (10) hours of acceptable continuing education shall be required annually for renewal of Texas veterinary technician licenses. (4)[(3)] A licensee shall earn the required hours of acceptable continuing education during the calendar year immediately preceding the licensee's application for license renewal. Should a licensee earn acceptable continuing education hours during the year in excess of the required hours, the licensee may carry over and apply the excess hours to the requirement for the next year. Licensees may carry over excess hours to the following year only, and may not carry over more hours than the licensee is required to earn in a calendar year. (5)[(4)] Hardship extensions may be granted by appeal to the Executive Director of the Board. The executive director shall only consider requests for a hardship extension from licensees who were prevented from completing the required continuing education hours due to circumstances beyond the licensee's control. A hardship extension generally will not be allowed due to financial hardship or lack of time due to a busy professional or personal schedule. Requests for a hardship extension must be received in writing and in the Board offices by no later than December 15. Should such extension be granted, twice the number of hours of continuing education required for a standard annual license renewal shall be obtained in the two-year period of time that includes the year of insufficiency and the year of extension. Licensees receiving a hardship extension shall maintain records of the [of] continuing education obtained and shall file copies of these records with the Board by attaching the records to the license renewal application submitted following the extension year, or by sending them to the Board separately if the licensee submits his or her renewal application electronically (on-line). (b)Exemption from Continuing Education Requirements for Veterinary Licensees. A veterinary licensee is not required to obtain or report continuing education hours, provided that the veterinary licensee submits to the Board sufficient proof that during the preceding year the veterinary licensee was: (1)in retired status; (2)a veterinary intern or resident; or (3)out-of-country on charitable, military, or special government assignments for at least nine (9) months in a year; or (4)on inactive status. Veterinary licensees on inactive status may voluntarily acquire continuing education for purposes of reinstating his/her license to regular status. (c)Make up Hours. The Board may require a licensee who does not complete the required hours of continuing education to make up the missed hours in later years. Hours required to be made up in a later year are in addition to the continuing education hours required to be completed in that year.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed
the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's legal authority
to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on December 30, 2013
TRD-201306132 Loris Jones
Executive Assistant
Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
Earliest possible date of adoption: February 9, 2014
For further information, please call: (512) 305-7563
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