Occupational Board Reform Act

General Information

Committee of Jurisdiction:Health and Human Services
Occupation Regulated:Veterinarian Locum Tenens
Occupational Board:Board of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Contact:Nicole Barrett
Purpose:The purpose of the veterinarian locum tenens license is to allow an individual who holds a veterinarian license in another state to practice in Nebraska when there is a specific need, for example, because a currently licensed veterinarian is unavailable to practice because of illness, vacation, or similar reasons and needs a temporary person to work in their practice.
Regulated Professionals:0
Year Created:2011
Year Active:2011
Sunset Date:N/A

Authorization

Statutory Authorization:Board §§ 38-3319; 38-3320; Veterinarian Locum Tenens § 38-3335
Parent Agency:Department of Health and Human Services

Membership

Number of Members:5 (currently the public member position is vacant)
Who Appoints:State Board of Health
Legislative Approval:No
Qualifications of Members:Three licensed veterinarians, one licensed veterinary technician, and one public member
Per Diem:Yes
Expense Reimbursement:Yes
Term Length:Terms of 5 years; up to 2 consecutive full 5-year terms
Terms Rotate or Expire at Once:Terms Rotate

Meetings

Required FY 2024-2023:1
Held FY 2024-2023:4
Required FY 2023-2022:1
Held FY 2023-2022:4
Required FY 2022-2021:1
Held FY 2022-2021:3
Required FY 2021-2020:1
Held FY 2021-2020:4
Required FY 2020-2019:1
Held FY 2020-2019:4

Operations

Support Staff:3 (Program Manager, Health Licensing Coordinator, Administrative Technician)
Shared or Separate:Shared
FY 2024-2023 Budget:0
FY 2023-2022 Budget:0
FY 2022-2021 Budget:0
FY 2021-2020 Budget:0
FY 2020-2019 Budget:0
Other Funding Sources:None
Spending Authority:Licensure fees are deposited into the designated cash fund. Additional info sent to the Committee.

Other

Government Certificates Issued:77
Issued Certificate Descriptions:DHHS' licensing system was unfortunately not designed to query by individual license type for a specified period of time and would require additional programming to narrow the data for this request. When circumstances indicate a need for the issuance of a veterinarian locum tenens in the State of Nebraska, the department, with the recommendation of the board, may issue a veterinarian locum tenens to an individual who holds an active license to practice veterinary medicine and surgery in another state if the requirements regarding education and examination for licensure in that state are equal to or exceed the requirements regarding education and examination for licensure in Nebraska. A veterinarian locum tenens license may be issued for a period not to exceed 90 days in any 12-month period.
Government Certificates Revoked:0
Revoked Certificate Descriptions:n/a
Government Certificates Denied:0
Denied Certificate Descriptions:n/a
Government Certificates Penalties Against:0
Penalty Certificate Descriptions:n/a
Explanation of Effectiveness:https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/SurveyDocs/explanation1725388323.pdf
Potential HarmIf veterinarian locum tenens were no longer regulated, there could be instances of not having a licensed veterinarian available where there is a need for veterinarian coverage. This credential has proven valuable in cases where a Nebraska veterinarian was injured or died. Veterinarians from other states have been able to quickly become licensed as a veterinarian locum tenens to temporarily cover until the veterinarian has recovered from injury or until another veterinarian has been hired as a replacement. The veterinarian locum tenens is also applicable in emergency situations such as floods, wildfires, and tornados. This type of license is especially useful in rural Nebraska where there is significant distance between licensed veterinarians.
Regulation Comparison:https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/SurveyDocs/comparison1725388323.pdf
Subject to Regulations of Act(LB407):Yes
Survey Submitted: September 3, 2024 01:32 PM