NAVLE Retake Waiver Requirements
How Long Are NAVLE Scores Valid?
In order to qualify for DVM licensure in Louisiana, one must have successfully passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) within five years from the application submission date.
If scores are older than five years then an applicant must retake the exam; however, the NAVLE retake requirement may be waived if specific waiver criteria are met.
Criteria for NAVLE Retake Waiver
Rule Section 303.B.4 – The requirement for retaking the national examination (NAVLE) may be waived when an applicant:
a. holds a currently valid license in good standing in another state, district, or territory of the United States; and
b. has worked as a licensed veterinarian an average of 20 hours per week in a private practice or its equivalent continuously and without substantial interruption for a period of five years immediately preceding his application.
An application for DVM licensure must be submitted to the Board along with payment of all fees PRIOR to the submission of any waiver documentation
The documents below will NOT be accepted without first having a application submitted to the Board.
Waiver Request for NAVLE Retake Requirement
If your NAVLE score is older than five years from the application submission date, follow the instructions below to request a NAVLE retake waiver.
- Complete and submit the application for DVM licensure along with payment of all applicable fees.
Once an initial review is completed by the Board office, more details on the waiver requirements will be made available in the “Documents” section of the LBVM Application Portal. - Submit ALL required application material for the application for DVM licensure. A waiver request cannot be presented to the full Board for review if ANY application material is still missing – with the exception of the state jurisprudence exam.
- Submit letters of employment verification on company letterhead and signed from all employers for the five-year time span immediately preceding the date of application. Letters must include your employment dates, current position or title, full- or part-time status, and the average number of hours worked per week.
These letters can either be emailed directly to the Board office from the employer(s) or they can be uploaded by the applicant into the LBVM Application Portal. - Submit copies of your tax transcripts (NOT tax returns) for the five-year time span immediately preceding the date of application. There are several available options, but one should select the “Return Transcripts” for download from the IRS website for free. Visit IRS.gov now.
- Submit a copy of your most recent pay stub prior to the date of application submission from your current employer(s) showing your Year-To-Date earnings for the current year.
- Submit an explanation letter detailing the circumstances if you had employment gaps or worked fewer than 20 hours per week on average in the five years before applying. If there were no gaps in employment, then this letter could also serve as your formal letter requesting the waiver of the NAVLE retake requirement.
Review of NAVLE Retake Waiver Requests
Waiver requests for the NAVLE Retake Requirement can only be reviewed and decided upon by the full Board. Since the Board only meets every other month, these decisions are not immediate and can take several weeks, depending on when the application is submitted.
All application material and supplemental waiver request material must be received by the Board at least three weeks prior to the next Board meeting date in order to be reviewed by the Board; otherwise, the waiver request will be pushed back to the following Board meeting date.
Applicants are notified via email from the Board as well as in the “Documents” section of the LBVM Application Portal once a decision has been made by the full Board.