URGENT MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

May 1, 2013

The Board at its most recent Board Meeting held on April 5, 2013 discussed HR 1528, the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2013, amending the Controlled Substances Act to allow veterinarians to transport, administer and dispense controlled substances outside of their registered locations.

The Controlled Substances Act and resulting federal regulations make it illegal for veterinarians to transport controlled substances for use outside of their registered locations. A statutory change to the Controlled Substances Act will allow veterinarians to legally provide complete veterinary care a the offsite locations of their patients thereby providing proper care to their patients. The ability to be mobile will ensure the health and welfare needs of the animals as well as safeguarding the public safety and the nation's food supply.

The Board encourages all licensees to contact their Congressional representatives and voice their support of the amendment that currently detrimentally impacts all veterinarians and the services they provide. Urge your representatives to become co-sponsors; the more co-sponsors for the amendment the better chance it has of being passed by Congress. The following Congressional representatives are of importance to the issue due to the committees on which they sit and should be contacted as well:

Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham, Agriculture Committee. Contact: Alma Acosta at alma.acosta@mail.house.gov;

Representative Ben Lujan, Energy & Commerce Committee. Contact Andrew Jones at andrew.jones@mail.house.gov;

Representative Steve Pearce, while not on a committee of influence, has agreed to provide support for the amendment. Contact Jessica Blake at jessica.blake@mail.house.gov.

For further information on HR 1528 and the proposed amendment, click here.

Thank you for supporting HR 1528,

Board of Veterinary Medicine Board Members

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD:

The Board has learned of recent communications to New Mexico veterinarians from DRP Resources, Inc. soliciting the purchase of veterinary prescription drugs. Be advised, this type of sale of prescription drugs is in violation of the Board's Rules and Regulations, specifically:

16.25.9.17 A. No legend or controlled drug shall be prescribed, dispensed, or administered without the establishment of a veterinary-client-patient relationship.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO RULES AND REGULATIONS:

To access the latest version of the proposed changes, click here. It is recommended that the document be printed in color to facilitate reading the current language and the proposed changes.

SCHOOL LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM

The loan repay program is available for new graduates practicing in rural areas, in public health and in State government. In New Mexico, one award was made in 2010; four awards in 2011; and two awards were made in 2012. The program offers $25,000 per year for five years to pay off student loans. Applications are being accepted now; applicants can apply to the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information applicants can visit www.nifa.usda.gov.

Controlled Substances Dispensed by Veterinarians

The Board of Pharmacy has provided a short instruction sheet on the manual upload of controlled substances dispensed by veterinarians. Click here to access the instruction sheet.

INFORMATION UPDATES

EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1, 2011: The fee for DVM, RVT, AI, PD or Facility mailing list is $100 per spreadsheet list, $125 per mailing label list. All requests must be accompanied by the signed and dated Electronic Data Agreement.

Gross Receipts Tax

The Board recently learned from its auditors, Ricci & Company, that the Taxation and Revenue Department changed its statute related to tangible personal property used in the practice of veterinary medicine. Claims can be filed for a refund of Gross Receipts Taxes paid for the taxable years 2007-2010 based upon the previous statute. Attached is the prior statute and regulation for your use in making a claim. Click here for statute

UPDATE:

Filings for the gross receipts tax refunds continue to be approved by the Taxation and Revenue Department. The time frame for the entire filing and approval process for claims in excess of $10,000 is typically six (6) months; claims less than $10,000 process sooner. Don't miss out on this opportunity to recoup gross receipts taxes paid on tangible personal property in relation to your practice of veterinary medicine.