Practicing With An Expired License or Certificate
All licenses and certificates issued for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal euthanasia technicians and equine dentists expire annually on September 30th. All licenses and certificates not properly renewed between July 1 to September 30 – with all Continuing Education hours and required fees paid in full – will be expired beginning on October 1st. Expired licenses can still be renewed; however, renewing an expired license will result in late fees being incurred in addition to possible disciplinary action taken and civil fines levied by the Board.
All renewals must be completed through the LBVM License Portal – paper renewal applications are no longer available. A renewal is considered complete only when all of the following has been submitted: (1) a completed online renewal application; (2) payment of all appropriate renewal fees; (3) submission of all acceptable Certificates of Completion for approved CE activity; and (4) payment of any late fees due, if applicable.
If your renewal is not fully completed and approved by September 30th then on October 1, the following will occur: 1) your license will expire and you will not be able to continue practicing, 2) you will owe the late renewal fee, and 3) your license will remain in an expired status until all satisfactory CE documentation and the late renewal fee is received and reviewed.
It is Illegal to Practice With an Expired License or Certificate
The Louisiana Veterinary Practice Act provides that any person who practices veterinary medicine in Louisiana after the expiration of his license or certificate is guilty of the illegal practice of veterinary medicine, whether the failure to timely renew is willful or by neglect.
LA Revised Statute 37:1525. Section 1531 (3) of the Practice Act authorizes the Board to levy civil penalties against any person found to have practiced veterinary medicine “without the benefit of a currently valid license … “.
The practice of veterinary medicine with a currently expired license or certificate is illegal and can subject the licensee to disciplinary action far beyond the payment of the late renewal fee.