Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2009/12/09/E9-29253/national-veterinary-accreditation-program
Timestamp: 2016-04-29 19:48:29
Document Index: 531757251

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Federal Register | National Veterinary Accreditation Program
Dates: February 1, 2010.
-65013 (16 pages)
Document Number: E9-29253
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/E9-29253 Related Topics
National Veterinary Accreditation Program 6 actions from June 1st, 2006 to February 1st, 2010
In the process of considering the comments we received, we identified four changes that we believed would improve the June 2006 proposed rule. On February 27, 2007, we published a supplemental proposed rule
in order to take public comment on these four changes (72 FR 8634-8639). We amended the June 2006 proposal by changing the scope of Category I and Category II accreditation; requiring initial accreditation training for all veterinarians seeking accreditation; requiring newly accredited veterinarians to renew their accreditation within 3 years of the initial accreditation training; and reducing the amount of training required for renewal of accreditation.
We solicited comments concerning the supplemental proposal for 60 days ending April 30, 2007. We received 15 comments by that date. They were from a State department of agriculture, a veterinary medical association, and individual veterinarians.
The regulations provide for consultation with State animal health officials in developing orientation materials and reviewing applications for accreditation. We did not propose to change those provisions; they are included in paragraphs (e)(4) and (d), respectively, of § 161.1 in this final rule. We consult with State animal health officials routinely on matters affecting the NVAP; it would be impossible to administer the program without their cooperation. We do not believe it is necessary to add a specific statement about that cooperation to the regulations.
We agree with the commenter that it is important to ensure the availability of accredited veterinarians to respond to disease emergencies. The new accreditation process we are developing will allow for rapid accreditation of veterinarians to perform accredited duties in new States when necessary. In addition, when veterinarians are hired on a full-time, temporary basis by APHIS or by a State to participate in disease response efforts, those veterinarians may perform accredited duties in any State without being accredited in that State, as full-time Federal and State veterinarians may perform accredited duties without being accredited under 9 CFR part 161.
We received several comments on our June 2006 proposal that asked for clarification regarding various aspects of the scope of duties that Category I and Category II accredited veterinarians would be authorized to perform, as well as comments on what tasks Category I and Category II veterinarians should be able to perform. Two commenters noted that the phrase “commonly kept as pets” in our proposed definition of companion animals appeared to exclude exotic animals and nontraditional pets, such as hedgehogs, falcons, or primates, that are sometimes brought to veterinarians for health certificates; it was not clear which category of veterinarians would have been authorized to perform accredited duties on such species. One commenter asked which category of accreditation would be appropriate for zoo veterinarians. Regarding the tasks Category I and Category II veterinarians would have been required to be able to perform, one commenter recommended that Category I veterinarians be able to develop flock health plans for bird flocks, a task that we had only proposed to require for Category II veterinarians.
These comments led us to reconsider the division between Category I and Category II. In the February 2007 supplemental proposal, we amended the June 2006 proposal so that Category I veterinarians would be authorized to perform accredited duties only on animals other than food and fiber animals, horses, farm-raised fish, poultry, all other livestock, birds, and zoo animals that could transmit exotic animal diseases to livestock. The listed animals are susceptible to animal diseases that can infect livestock and that are subject to APHIS control or eradication programs. Requiring that veterinarians performing accredited duties on those animals be accredited under Category II would ensure that the veterinarians have the necessary training to recognize symptoms of those diseases and the necessary knowledge and skills to take appropriate action.
The February 2007 supplemental proposal referred to the animals on which Category I veterinarians would have been able to perform accredited duties as nonregulated animals; that document proposed to add a definition of nonregulated animals in § 160.1 and replaced all the references to companion animals in the June 2006 proposed rule with references to nonregulated animals. Our definition of nonregulated animals indicated that dogs and cats were examples of nonregulated animals. The February 2007 proposal also indicated that Category II accredited veterinarians would be authorized to perform accredited duties on all animals, both regulated and nonregulated.
These changes addressed the comments on the June 2006 proposal. Hedgehogs and primates were now clearly classified as Category I animals, while falcons, being birds, were classified as Category II animals. Zoo veterinarians who work with animals that could transmit exotic animal diseases to livestock would have to be accredited under Category II; other zoo veterinarians could be accredited under Category I. A veterinarian who worked with birds would have to be accredited under Category II, and thus would have to be able to develop a flock health plan under proposed § 161.1(g)(2)(xi).
We agree with these commenters. Thus, we have changed the terms we use in this final rule to Category I animals and Category II animals, as described earlier. In addition we agree with the second point made by the second commenter, which is why we have added definitions of both Category I animals and Category II animals in this final rule and defined Category I animals as animals other than Category II animals.
It would be inappropriate to categorize horses as Category I animals in this final rule because APHIS-Veterinary Services recognizes horses as livestock and regulates their importation and interstate movement to prevent the introduction and spread of equine diseases. For example, the regulations in § 75.4 regulate the interstate movement of horses that are reactors to equine infectious anemia. In addition, the regulations in 9 CFR part 93, subpart C, set out requirements for the importation of horses, and APHIS recently undertook an emergency disease response when contagious equine metritis was found in Wisconsin. For this reason, we have determined that it is necessary for veterinarians who perform accredited duties on horses to be accredited under Category II.
One commenter stated that restricting the types of animals a veterinarian is allowed to treat would be incredibly detrimental to all animals. The commenter noted that there are many veterinarians that have a mixed practice and treat both small and large animals simply because they are the only ones available to perform these services.
The June 2006 proposal did not clearly state that veterinarians with Category II accreditation would be allowed to perform accredited duties on all animals, not just those for which Category II accreditation is necessary to perform accredited duties. The February 2007 supplemental proposal and this final rule have added a statement to that effect in § 161.1(b).
We are requiring that Category I veterinarians complete initial accreditation training and an initial orientation program before becoming accredited; that they be able to perform the tasks listed in § 161.1(g)(1) in the February 2007 supplemental proposal and in this final rule; that they comply with the standards for accredited veterinarian duties, listed in § 161.4 under this final rule; and that they complete three supplemental training units every 3 years for renewal of their accreditation.
In the June 2006 proposal, we proposed to revise § 161.1 to set out requirements and application processes for initial accreditation. In the February 2007 supplemental proposal, we amended some of these requirements and moved other requirements to new paragraphs. Because we are using the organization in the February 2007 supplemental proposal in this final rule, we will refer to the paragraph citations in the February 2007 supplemental proposal in the discussion below.
The regulations at § 161.1(a)(2)(iii) have required that veterinarians seeking initial accreditation complete an orientation program approved by the Veterinarian-in-Charge for the State in which the veterinarian wishes to practice. We proposed to move this requirement to § 161.1(e)(4) and add two new topics to the list of topics the orientation program must address: Foreign animal disease awareness and animal health emergency management.
The June 2006 proposal contained a list of tasks that applicants for accredited status would have to be able to perform. The February 2007 supplemental proposal moved these tasks to § 161.1(g), but otherwise did not amend the June 2006 proposal. We received some comments on these tasks.
Proposed paragraph (g)(1)(i) of § 161.1 indicated that Category I veterinarians would be required to be able to perform physical examinations of individual nonregulated animals to determine whether they are free from any clinical signs suggestive of communicable disease. Paragraph (g)(2)(i) indicated that Category II veterinarians would be required to be able to perform physical examinations of individual animals and visually inspect herds or flocks for clinical signs suggestive of communicable disease.
We understand this comment as suggesting that Category I veterinarians should be able to develop a plan to control diseases among Category I animal species, such as a plan to control kennel cough or distemper at a dog breeding premises. The Animal Health Protection Act does not give us the authority to require Category I veterinarians to be able to address diseases that occur in and affect only Category I animals. (A facility covered by the Animal Welfare Act would be required to provide veterinary care for the animals in the facility.) Therefore, requiring Category I veterinarians to be able to develop disease control plans for these animals would be inappropriate.
We proposed to require in § 161.1(h) that an accredited veterinarian may not perform accredited duties in a State until after receiving written authorization from APHIS. In addition, we proposed to require that, if a Category I accredited veterinarian completes the necessary training requirements and becomes a Category II accredited veterinarian, the veterinarian may not perform Category II accredited duties in a State until after receiving written authorization from APHIS. One commenter was concerned that APHIS might not be able to provide this written authorization in a timely manner. Failure to do so, the commenter stated, could have a potentially significant impact on the veterinary care at a zoo or aquarium or on an individual veterinarian’s ability to perform the necessary duties of the profession. The commenter strongly encouraged APHIS to employ an electronic approval process for this authorization.
We plan to employ an electronic approval process for providing written authorization. Under this system, accredited veterinarians with e-mail access will receive an e-mail authorizing them to perform accredited duties. The authorization process for performing accredited duties in another State will continue to require the completion of the requirements in § 161.2.
As we stated in the June 2006 proposal, we are requiring that veterinarians complete supplemental training to renew their accreditation for several reasons. First, accredited veterinarians need to be aware of the most up-to-date information regarding foreign animal diseases and the risks associated with them. The diversity of regions from which animals and animal products are exported means that the international animal disease profile, including emerging diseases that may be relevant to accredited veterinary practice within the United States, are continually changing. The import and export requirements that are placed on the trade of animals and animal products by countries also change frequently, and any deficiencies in knowledge of these requirements on the part of accredited veterinarians could pose a risk to U.S. animal health. The fast pace of change in these areas can mean that the personal experience of accredited veterinarians may not provide enough knowledge to allow them to best contribute to APHIS efforts to deal with emerging issues.
The idea that the supplemental training would focus only on regulatory requirements is incorrect. For example, the training provided for renewal of accreditation will include units on “Foreign Animal Diseases, Program Diseases, and Reportable Diseases”; “Preventing Disease Introduction and Spread”; and “Disease Eradication and Lab Diagnosis.” Accredited veterinarians would not be able to learn everything they need to know about these topics by simply reading Federal, State, and foreign animal disease laws and regulations.
We received several comments on the cost and logistics of supplemental training. One asked how much the training, tests, and accreditation certificate would cost. Six commenters stated that training should be provided at no charge. Another noted that additional training requirements may create an economic hardship for some veterinarians. One commenter noted that the June 2006 proposal did not address the cost of non-Web-based training and stated that many veterinarians in rural practice do not have computer access and could not participate in Web-based training.
Some of the topics have been mentioned earlier in this document. In general, the topics are a mix of general disease control and prevention topics and species-specific information. Some other topics addressed in the training modules include: “Vesicular Diseases,” “Small Ruminant Health Certificates and Scrapie,” and “Federal Animal Health Laws.” A complete list of topics is available on the NVAP Web site at (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/vet_accreditation/).
In the June 2006 proposed rule, proposed paragraph (d) of § 161.3 outlined the process we would use to notify accredited veterinarians that they need to renew their accreditation. We stated in the Background section of the proposed rule that APHIS would contact currently accredited veterinarians, by postal mail, fax, or e-mail, to notify them that they must elect to participate in the NVAP as Category I or Category II veterinarians. Veterinarians would not be required to complete any additional training to continue their participation in the NVAP, but they would be required to notify APHIS that they elect to participate within 3 months of this notification; otherwise, their accreditation would expire. After APHIS received notice from a currently accredited veterinarian that he or she elects to continue to participate in the program as a Category I or Category II veterinarian, APHIS would notify the veterinarian of his or her initial renewal date. The accredited veterinarian would then have to complete all the training requirements for renewal by the initial renewal date.
Proposed paragraph § 161.3(a) stated that accredited veterinarians who wish to continue participating in the NVAP must submit their renewal forms to APHIS. One commenter recommended that renewal forms be submitted in duplicate to both APHIS and the Area Veterinarians-in-Charge (AVICs) of the States in which the veterinarian is accredited, or that a mechanism be established to notify the AVICs in question immediately. Two other commenters suggested that we require that the form be sent to the AVICs and forwarded to APHIS.
The new database of accredited veterinarians will allow AVICs and State animal health officials to access this information. We would not publish a veterinarian’s name for the general public, however, unless the veterinarian gave us permission to release it.
We are making a few changes in this final rule to the renewal requirements in the February 2007 supplemental proposal. In that document, we proposed to require that newly accredited veterinarians renew their accreditation within 3 years of completing the initial accreditation training in proposed § 161.1(e)(3), regardless of when their accreditation is granted. This training is typically given by veterinary schools at some point during the veterinarians’ course of study; our proposed requirement was intended to ensure that veterinarians had up-to-date training based on the last training they had received. However, the NVAP presently does not have a means to track when veterinarians complete the initial accreditation training. In addition, we believe that dating the renewal period from the completion of the core orientation program described in § 161.1(e)(4) is more appropriate and would place less of a burden on accredited veterinarians, since the core orientation program covers topics essential to accreditation and is typically given after the initial accreditation training. Therefore, this final rule requires newly accredited veterinarians to renew their accreditation 3 years after completion of the core orientation program in § 161.1(e)(4). In addition, under § 161.1(e)(4), this final rule requires applicants for accreditation to apply within 3 years of completing core orientation.
Proposed paragraph § 161.3(d) set out the conditions under which veterinarians who are accredited as of the effective date of this final rule would renew their accreditation. This paragraph referred both to these veterinarians’ “first renewal” and their “initial renewal.” We are amending the paragraph to refer only to the veterinarians’ “first renewal” to avoid ambiguity. Additionally, the last sentence of this proposed paragraph indicated that, after their first renewal, veterinarians accredited as of the effective date of this final rule would be required to renew their accreditation in accordance with the provisions of § 161.3. We have removed this sentence from this final rule, as we believe it is self-evident.
We proposed to add a new § 161.5 to the regulations setting out the conditions under which accredited veterinarians could earn accreditation specializations. Certain APHIS disease programs have additional training requirements that accredited veterinarians must fulfill in order to perform certain activities, because performing these activities requires specialized technical knowledge. These training programs have been known as accreditation specialization programs.
We are making one change to proposed § 161.5 in this final rule. In the June 2006 proposal, we introduced the term “accreditation specializations.” We have since decided that this term could create confusion given the common meaning of the term “specialization” in veterinary medicine. In veterinary medicine, “specialization” refers to a discipline such as oncology or thoracic surgery in which a veterinarian has completed extensive training over a period of years and achieved a board certification. We believe the term “program certification” refers more directly to what the training will allow a veterinarian to do — participate in program-specific Veterinary Services activities — and will be less likely to cause confusion. Therefore, in the regulatory text in § 161.5, we have replaced all references to “accreditation specializations” with references to “program certifications” in this final rule.
In a final rule published in the Federal Register on October 10, 2008 (73 FR 60463-60488, Docket No. APHIS-2006-0089), and effective on November 10, 2008, we established a voluntary swine herd certification program for trichinae. To accommodate this program, we added a new § 161.5 to the regulations that provides for accreditation specializations. This final rule revises § 161.5 as it was established in the October 2008 final rule to refer to program certifications and to add provisions from the June 2006 proposed rule, such as requiring Category II accreditation in order to earn a program certification, that are not currently included in § 161.5.
In addition, the October 2008 final rule added a definition of qualified accredited veterinarian to § 160.1 that refers to accreditation specializations. The regulations in 9 CFR part 149, which was established by the October 2008 final rule, also contain references to accreditation specializations. This final rule updates those references to refer instead to program certifications.
We are making one other change related to program certifications in this final rule. In the June 2006 proposed rule, paragraph (a) of § 161.7 would have required full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarians to qualify under § 161.5 in order to perform duties for which a program certification is required. However, these veterinarians are not required to be accredited in order to perform duties under subchapters B, C, and D of 9 CFR chapter I, and veterinarians are required to be accredited under Category II in order to earn a program certification. In addition, the authorization of any full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarian to perform duties under the regulations is contingent on delegation of authority by the Administrator or cooperative agreements; APHIS would not delegate authority to perform duties that would otherwise require a program certification unless the full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarian had the appropriate training. Accordingly, this final rule does not include that proposed requirement.
In a related matter, proposed paragraph (a) of § 161.7 in the June 2006 proposed rule referred to authorization for full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarians to perform Category II accredited duties. This paragraph was based on a footnote to the definition of accredited veterinarian in § 160.1; the footnote referred to authorization to perform functions specified in subchapters B, C, and D of 9 CFR chapter I. As full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarians are not accredited, it is inappropriate to refer to “Category II accredited duties” in this context. Therefore, we are amending proposed paragraph (a) of § 161.7 in this final rule to refer instead to functions specified in subchapters B, C, and D of 9 CFR chapter I.
The regulations in § 161.4 have provided for the suspension or revocation of veterinary accreditation as well as civil and criminal penalties. We proposed to move these requirements to § 161.6, add relevant requirements from § 161.2, and update the requirements to make them clearer and to enhance the integrity of the NVAP.
In response to the comment, this final rule amends § 162.10 to make it clear that summary suspension may be appropriate in cases that may ultimately lead to either suspension or revocation.
We are making an additional changes to the regulations in § 162.10 in this final rule. These regulations have provided that the Administrator may summarily suspend accreditation in any situation where the Administrator has reason to believe that any veterinarian accredited under the provisions of parts 160 and 161 of this subchapter has not complied with the “Standards for Accredited Veterinarian Duties,” and the Administrator determines that summary suspension is necessary to prevent the introduction of certain diseases or to ensure that exports to foreign countries were free from disease. This language predates the enactment of the Animal Health Protection Act (AHPA). The AHPA allows summary suspension of accreditation whenever the Secretary of Agriculture has reason to believe that a veterinarian has knowingly violated the AHPA. (Because the NVAP regulations are promulgated under the AHPA, any violation of the “Standards for Accredited Veterinarian Duties” is necessarily a violation of the Act.) Therefore, to be consistent with our statutory authority, we are amending § 162.10 to refer to violation of the AHPA as a reason for summary suspension.
In the June 2006 proposal, we proposed to modify § 162.10 to include the need to maintain the integrity of the NVAP as one of the circumstances the Administrator may consider in determining whether to summarily suspend a veterinarian’s accreditation. We received no comments on this aspect of the proposal. However, we have determined that it is not necessary to add such a provision to the summary suspension regulations, as any breach of the integrity of the NVAP would also necessarily be a violation of the NVAP regulations promulgated under the AHPA. Accordingly, this final rule does not include the integrity of the NVAP as a reason for summary suspension.
Veterinarians whose application for accreditation is denied are covered by § 161.7(b) in this final rule, which states that, except for full-time Federal and State employed veterinarians, anyone who performs accredited veterinarian duties that he or she is not authorized to perform will be subject to such criminal and civil penalties as are provided by the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) or other applicable Federal statutes or regulations. Paragraph (b) of § 161.7 also states that performing accredited duties without having been accredited will be considered grounds for the Administrator to deny an application for accreditation.
Veterinary Services area offices are the points of contact for members of the public who wish to lodge a complaint about an accredited veterinarian’s performance of accredited duties. Contact information for Veterinary Services area offices can be found on the Veterinary Services Web site at (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/area_offices/). Paragraph (c)(2)(iii) of § 161.6 provides that the NVAP will consider the professional integrity and reputation of applicants for reaccreditation when determining whether to reaccredit such veterinarians.
We proposed to add a new § 161.7 to describe the accredited duties that may be performed by veterinarians who are not federally accredited. Full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarians would be authorized to perform Category II accredited duties, pursuant to delegation of authority by the Administrator or cooperative agreements, without specific accreditation under the provisions of the regulations. The proposed rule further stated that, except for full-time Federal (including military) and State employed veterinarians, veterinarians who are not federally accredited and who attempt to perform accredited duties would be subject to such criminal and civil penalties as are provided by the Animal Health Protection Act or other applicable Federal statutes or regulations.
We appreciate the commenter’s suggestion. However, there would be several obstacles to allowing veterinarians employed by tribes to perform accredited duties without being formally accredited. Much of accreditation work involves certifying an animal for entry into interstate or international commerce. State and country laws and regulations are typically set up to recognize the State or country of origin for an animal in commerce. States or countries may not be able to recognize accredited work performed on a reservation, which is considered to be a nation, for animal health movement purposes.
We agree that these situations need to be addressed. In this final rule, we are changing the proposed language to state: “Anyone who performs accredited veterinarian duties that he or she is not authorized to perform will be subject to such criminal and civil penalties as are provided by the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) or other applicable Federal statutes or regulations.” This statement indicates that both non-veterinarians who perform accredited duties and accredited veterinarians who perform duties that they are not authorized to perform (for example, an accredited veterinarian performing program certification work for which he or she is not authorized) will be subject to criminal and civil penalties.
The current regulations in § 161.2(a)(2)(iii), which describe the State-specific orientation program that a veterinarian must complete prior to accreditation, refer to the veterinarian completing an orientation program approved by the Veterinarian-in-Charge for the State in which the veterinarian wishes to practice. As discussed earlier in this document, a non-accredited veterinarian may practice normal veterinary medicine on any animal; accreditation allows a veterinarian to perform specific, disease control-related accredited tasks. To ensure clarity, we are replacing the word “practice” with the words “perform accredited duties” as part of moving this paragraph to § 161.1(e)(4) in this final rule.
Category I accreditation will require the completion of 3 supplemental training units every 3 years in order to renew accreditation and will allow the veterinarians who choose it to perform accredited duties only for Category I animals, as that term is defined in § 160.1 of the regulations. Category II accreditation, however, will require the completion of 6 supplemental training units every 3 years in order to renew accreditation; veterinarians who select it will be able to perform the full spectrum of accredited duties that do not require a program certification. For both categories, the majority of the supplemental training will be delivered through the World Wide Web, with no charge to the participating veterinarians. The Internet-based training will eliminate the need for additional costs for travel and accommodations for the veterinarians taking the training. We will provide the training in other media (e.g., CD-ROM or paper) at minimal cost, and we will provide the training in a classroom setting at meetings of veterinary associations. Thus, there will be, at the most, minimal additional costs associated with the new aspects of the NVAP apart from the time spent taking the training. Each supplemental training unit will take approximately 1 hour to complete.
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the information collection or recordkeeping requirements included in this rule have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB control number 0579-0297.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is committed to compliance with the E-Government Act to promote the use of the Internet and other information technologies, to provide increased opportunities for citizen access to Government information and services, and for other purposes. For information pertinent to E-Government Act compliance related to this rule, please contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS’ Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-2908.
Accordingly, we are amending 9 CFR parts 149, 160, 161, and 162 as follows:
PART 149—VOLUNTARY TRICHINAE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM Back to Top
1.The authority citation for part 149 continues to read as follows: Authority:
7 U.S.C. 1622 and 8301-8317; 21 U.S.C. 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.
§ 149.1 [Amended]
2.Section 149.1 is amended as follows: a. In the definition of qualified accredited veterinarian (QAV), by removing the words “an accreditation specialization” and adding the words “a program certification” in their place.
PART 160—DEFINITION OF TERMS Back to Top
3.The authority citation for part 160 continues to read as follows: Authority:
7 U.S.C. 8301-8317; 15 U.S.C. 1828; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.
4.Section 160.1 is amended as follows: a. In the definition of accredited veterinarian, by removing footnote 1.
b. By adding definitions of Category I animals, Category II animals, and herd or flock health plan in alphabetical order, to read as set forth below.
c. In the definition of qualified accredited veterinarian (QAV), by removing the words “an accreditation specialization” and adding the words “a program certification” in their place.
PART 161—REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITED VETERINARIANS AND SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF SUCH ACCREDITATION Back to Top
6.Section 161.1 is amended by revising the section heading and paragraphs (b) and (c) and adding new paragraphs (d) through (h) and an OMB citation to read as follows: § 161.1 Statement of purpose; requirements and application procedures for accreditation.
(b) Categories of accreditation. A veterinarian may be accredited as a Category I veterinarian or a Category II veterinarian. A veterinarian who is accredited under Category I is only authorized to perform accredited duties on Category I animals, as defined in § 160.1. A veterinarian who is accredited under Category II is authorized to perform accredited duties on both Category I animals and Category II animals.
(c) Application for initial accreditation. A veterinarian may apply for accreditation by completing an application for accreditation and submitting it to APHIS. In completing the application, the veterinarian will choose one of the accreditation activity categories, either Category I or Category II, as discussed in paragraph (b) of this section. Applications for Category I accreditation must include certification that the applicant is able to perform the tasks listed in paragraph (g)(1) of this section. Applications for Category II accreditation must include certification that the applicant is able to perform the tasks listed in paragraph (g)(2) of this section. An accredited veterinarian must not perform duties requiring a program certification unless he or she is accredited under Category II and qualified to perform such duties in accordance with § 161.5 of this part.
(vii) Foreign animal disease awareness; (viii) Animal health emergency management; and
(f) Change in accreditation category. (1) Category I to Category II. A veterinarian who is accredited under Category I may become accredited under Category II if the veterinarian applies for accreditation under Category II by completing an application for accreditation, including certification that the applicant is able to perform the tasks listed in paragraph (g)(2) of this section, and submitting it to APHIS. The veterinarian must also have fulfilled the training requirements in § 161.3(b) that are associated with renewal of accreditation under Category II.
(2) Category II to Category I. A veterinarian who is accredited under Category II may become accredited under Category I if the veterinarian applies for accreditation under Category I by completing an application for accreditation, including certification that the applicant is able to perform the tasks listed in paragraph (g)(1) of this section, and submitting it to APHIS. The veterinarian must also have fulfilled the training requirements in § 161.3(b) that are associated with renewal of accreditation under Category I.
7.Section 161.2 is revised to read as follows: § 161.2 Performance of accredited duties in different States.
§§ 161.3 and 161.4 [Redesignated]
8.Section 161.4 is redesignated as § 161.6, and § 161.3 is redesignated as § 161.4. 9.A new § 161.3 is added to read as follows: § 161.3 Renewal of accreditation.
10.Section 161.5 is revised to read as follows: § 161.5 Program certifications.
11.Newly redesignated § 161.6 is amended as follows: a. By revising the section heading to read as set forth below.
(a) The Administrator is authorized to suspend for a given period of time, or to revoke, the accreditation of a veterinarian when he or she determines that the accredited veterinarian has not complied with the “Standards for Accredited Veterinarian Duties” as set forth in § 161.4 of this part or with any of the other regulations in this subchapter, or is otherwise found to be unfit to be accredited. Veterinarians who perform duties that only accredited veterinarians are authorized to perform while their accredited status is suspended or revoked will be subject to such criminal and civil penalties as are provided by the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) or other applicable Federal statutes or regulations. Performing accredited duties while accreditation status is suspended or revoked will be considered grounds for the Administrator to suspend accreditation, revoke accreditation, or deny application for reaccreditation, as circumstances warrant. A veterinarian whose accreditation has been suspended or revoked or whose application for reaccreditation has been denied may request a hearing under § 162.13 to challenge the Administrator’s decision.
(g) Notice of warning. In lieu of suspension or revocation, the Administrator is authorized to issue a written notice of warning to an accredited veterinarian when the Administrator determines a notice of warning will be adequate to attain compliance with the Standards for Accredited Veterinarian Duties in § 161.4 of this part.
12.A new § 161.7 is added to read as follows: § 161.7 Activities performed by non-accredited veterinarians.
PART 162—RULES OF PRACTICE GOVERNING REVOCATION OR SUSPENSION OF VETERINARIANS’ ACCREDITATION Back to Top
13.The authority citation for part 162 continues to read as follows: Authority:
14.Section 162.10 is revised to read as follows: § 162.10 Summary suspension or revocation of accreditation of veterinarians.
§ 162.12 [Amended]
15.In § 162.12, paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) are redesignated as paragraphs (c), (d), and (b), respectively. Done in Washington, DC, this 1
1. To view the June 2006 proposed rule, the February 2007 supplemental proposal, and the comments we received on both rules, go to (http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetaild=APHIS-2006-0093).