DVM Application Instructions – Military Expedited
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EXPEDITED MILITARY LICENSE QUALIFICATIONS for Military Members AND Military Spouses
STEP #1 IS TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THE ONLINE APPLICATION THROUGH THE LBVM APPLICATION PORTAL. All supplemental documentation can be submitted through the portal AFTER the application is initially submitted. The LBVM cannot guarantee that documents submitted PRIOR to the submission of the online application can be accepted and/or tracked.
Rule 307 of the LA Veterinary Practice Act states “A qualified military-trained applicant licensed as a veterinarian in another state, or having been awarded a military occupational specialty which is equivalent to or exceeds the requirements for licensure, or a military spouse licensed as a veterinarian in another state, either of whom having also actively practiced such discipline for the 90 day period immediately prior to application submission to the LBVM, may be issued an expedited license to practice veterinary medicine pending good faith completion of all requirements for licensure in Louisiana set forth in the board’s rules.”
To qualify for an expedited license, one must complete and submit the license application along with payment of all fees through the LBVM Application Portal. The documentation that is required at the time of application submission (or at least prior to an expedited license being issued) is:
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- Photograph – A recent head & shoulders photograph (passport style).
- Proof of Graduation – A final transcript or copy of your DVM diploma must be submitted.
- Proof of Out of State License(s) Currently or Previously Held – The LBVM’s Certificate of Valid Licensure form can be downloaded here to be completed and submitted to the LBVM by the certification agency. In lieu of the LBVM’s Certificate of Valid Licensure, a letter from the state board(s) with which you are/were licensed indicating good standing and/or any disciplinary action that may have been taken against your license. Proof of licensure must be submitted for every state in which you currently or previously have held a DVM license. A copy of one’s license is not acceptable.
- Current Military Orders – Current military orders or evidence of military credentials must be submitted. If you are a military spouse applying for licensure, official proof of spousal status (copy of marriage license) and spouse’s military orders must be submitted.
- Declarations – Additional documentation may be required related to any “yes” responses in the declaration section of the application.
Assuming there are no reasons for an application to be held for legal review, an expedited license may be issued once the above documentation is submitted and approved AND pending the submission of the remaining documentation below:
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- Official Transcripts – If you uploaded a copy of your final transcripts into the LBVM Applicant Portal, then you must have your official transcripts sent directly from your school to the LBVM. (If you uploaded a copy of your diploma, then your official transcripts are not required.)
- NAVLE Exam Score – You must request an official score transfer of your NAVLE, NBE or CCT scores through AAVSB. A required clean report from National Disciplinary Database is also provided with your score transfer. Pursuant to LA Veterinary Practice Act Rule 303.B(4) & (5), “scores shall be valid for a period of five years from the date of the examination administration… and scores shall not be more than five years old.” Scores older than five years would require an applicant to retake the NAVLE. This requirement for retaking the NAVLE may be waived should the applicant meet very specific waiver requirements. Waiver of this requirement is not guaranteed. Decisions made regarding a possible waiver are NOT immediate and can potentially take a couple of months, given that the Board only meets every other month (see Board meeting dates here). Please email the LBVM Executive Director at director@lsbvm.org if you have any questions regarding the possible waiver of NAVLE retake requirement. You can request a waiver of NAVLE retake requirement while completing the online application through the LBVM Application Portal.
Click Here to Download Rules & Required Document for Waiver of NAVLE Retake Licensure Requirement
Other requirements for DVM licensure include:
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- Taking and passing the LA State Board Jurisprudence Examination (click here for more details) Rule 307.D states “in order for the expedited license to remain in effect, the applicant must successfully pass the next available state board examination after initial application.”
Fees Associated with the Expedited License – Military Qualifications Application – At the end of the online application, the following fees must be paid as described below:
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- One-Time Application Fee: $100
- Original DVM License Fee: $250
- State Board Exam Fee: $200
- Score Transfer Fee: If the NAVLE is taken outside of Louisiana, a score transfer fee of $10 (and $20 for NBE/CCT scores) will be automatically assessed along with the other fees above. There is no transfer fee assessed if the NAVLE is taken in Louisiana.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATION PORTAL
How to Log Into Application Portal – Go to the LBVM Application Portal. If you have never logged in before, you will need to create your account by clicking on “New user? Apply now” and activate your email address. This email address will be your primary means of communication and used to log into your application in the LBVM Application Portal. Once activated, you will receive an email with a temporary password to use for your initial login attempt. Once you log in with the temporary password, you must create three security questions then you will be able to reset your password.
Starting and Completing a New Application – Once logged into the LBVM Application Portal, on the welcome page you will click the “Start New Application” button. You will then be prompted to select the application type you want to complete. Scroll down and select the “Veterinarian” application type, then select “Military Expedited License” and then “Save & Continue”. The application instructions you are brought to will be specific to whichever applicant type you select. Carefully read through the application instructions page and click “Save & Continue”. Once you start an application, you will be able to stop along any of the steps, then come back to resume at that place in the application at a later date. Follow the prompts and instructions for each section of the application, clicking “Save & Continue” to move to the next sections.
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- Be sure to accurately enter all required information in the application sections, especially all contact information for you, your employer(s) and your references.
- In the Education section of the application, be sure to select “DVM” as the Level Attained and enter all of the required details. If your SVM name is not listed, select “Other – Not Listed” and you will be prompted to enter your school’s name.
- If you answer “yes” to any declaration questions, you will have to enter an explanation and upload any documentation you may have to support your explanation.
- Read the Certifying Statement and click the checkbox to agree to all conditions of application.
Uploading Supporting Documentation – When you get to the Supporting Documentation section, you should upload all necessary documentation. Don’t have all documents ready yet? No worries! Upload what you have and click “Save & Continue” to move forward in the application. Once you make the payment and your application is submitted, you will have the ability to upload any remaining documents under Application Documentation (see details below).
Making Payment for Application – When you get to the Applicant Fee Payment section of the application, you can pay by credit card using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club.
CHECKING YOUR APPLICATION STATUS
Once your application is submitted you will receive a confirmation email with more details. You can continue to check the status of your application by logging into the LBVM Application Portal then on the Welcome page, click the “Review” button next to your application. (When contacting the LBVM Office regarding your application, please use your application number given in the Welcome page.) You will notice under your application details that your application status may initially be listed as “Submitted” or “Pending Payment” and you will see several items listed under Application Updates related to any required supplemental documentation/information.
NOTE – If any documentation is listed as “Waiting for Upload”, you can finish uploading them at this time in the Application Documentation section.
Your application status will remain as “Submitted” until our office can start reviewing your application material. You are urged to frequently log into the LBVM Applicant Portal to review these application updates from the Board. Your application statuses will update as follows:
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- Submitted – Your application has been initially submitted. Please note that your Application Documentation section may not be completely accurate until we start reviewing your material and your status is updated to “Pending Requirements”
- Pending Requirements – Our office has started reviewing your material and updating the Application Documentation section with all missing supplemental documentation and/or information. Frequently check your Application Updates for more details as material is received.
- Pending Payment – All supplemental documentation/information has been received, but final payment of invoice(s) is still needed. Go to “Invoices & Receipts” to make payment.
- Under Review – Your application has been completed and all necessary supplemental documents and payment(s) have been received. Your application is under final review by the Board.
- Approved – Your application has been approved and your license has been issued. Log into the License Portal to download your new LA license.
- Denied – Your application was unfortunately denied by the Board.
You may be contacted via email as we process through your application; however, application updates will be posted in real-time in the Application Documentation section as our office receives more details and/or more of your supporting documentation/information. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding your application for RVT certification with the LBVM, but you are strongly encouraged to frequently log into the LBVM Application Portal to check your application status for updates.