VIRGINIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION // SPRING 2021
TOWN &COUNTRY CALL
MEET THE VVMA OFFICERS - 05 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - 06 VIRGINIA VETERINARY CONFERENCE - 11 CLASSIFIEDS - 16
TOWN & COUNTRY CALL O F F I C I A L
P U B L I C A T I O N
Virginia Veterinary Medical Association 3801 Westerre Parkway, Suite D | Henrico, VA 23233 (P) 804-346-2611 (F) 804-346-2655 (E) info@vvma.org (W) www.vvma.org
vvma staff Robin Schmitz Executive Director
submission deadline
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OFFICERS
Terry Swecker, DVM President
Martin Betts, DVM President-Elect
Lauren Maxey, DVM Vice President
Brian Neumann, DVM
Caroline Bryan
The deadline for receipt of copy to be included in the next issue of Town & Country Call is:
Immediate Past President
Victoria Staples
June 4, 2021
DIRECTORS
Talya George
Associate Director Administrative Coordinator Association Coordinator
Secretary-Treasurer
Jay Margolis, DVM
Rebecca Beamer, DVM Southwest VA
MEMBER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM & WORK-LIFE SERVICES
Abbegail Bingaman, DVM
The VVMA has partnered with McLaughlin Young and offers a wonderful benefit for VVMA members. The Member Assistance Program & Work-Life Services are available to VVMA members and their immediate family.
Nathaniel Burke, DVM
Reasons to use the MAP include: financial planning, marital difficulties, parenting, stress, depression, work-related concerns, alcohol and drug use/abuse, grief and loss, or preventative.
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL ASSISTANCE is available 24/7/365 at 800-633-3353
No matter what problems you are dealing with, The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline wants to help you find a reason to keep living. By calling, you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7. Your call is confidential and free.
VAFAP
Laura Chretien, DVM Fredericksburg
Courtney Conroy, DVM At-Large
Edward Fallin, DVM Central
Sherri Gard, DVM
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Northern VA
VAEP
STUDENTS 1-540-231-6557
If you are concerned about yourself or any Virginia Tech student being (or becoming) suicidal, please call the Cook Counseling Center . This number can be used during regular office hours or after-hours to speak with a counselor.
Publication of materials in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association.
Christopher Hussion, DVM Loudoun
Jessica Kraft, DVM Roanoke Valley
Stuart Morse, DVM Prince William
Rachael Nuzzo, DVM Shenandoah
Ashley Powell, DVM Coastal
Peggy Rucker, DVM Appalachian
Cheryl Simpson-Freeman, DVM Piedmont
Samuel Tate, DVM VASART Bret VanLear, DVM Blue Ridge
Cassie Wagner, DVM At-Large
Garrett Wood, DVM Jefferson
Larry Younger, DVM Southside VMA
Maddie Nardi Student Representative
AVMA REPRESENTATIVES Erin Casey, DVM Delegate
Katie Rohrig, DVM Alternate Delegate
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE TERRY SWECKER, DVM, PHD, DACVN
Where do we go from here?
I want to start by thanking you for taking time to read this message. It is truly an honor to serve as President of VVMA and I will do my best to lead us in the coming year. First, I would like to share my deep appreciation for the leadership provided over the past year by Jay Margolis and the Board. Jay’s steady hand and calm voice was very comforting as we navigated a year that none had experienced before. Likewise, our seasoned staff at the VVMA was amazing as they rapidly pivoted to the continuously changing environment. These actions only reinforced my opinion that the VVMA is essential to veterinary medicine in the Commonwealth.
As I reflect, I believe we can take pride in actions taken by each individual veterinarian and the profession in general over the past year. We used our biomedical training and commitment to public health to maintain care for our patients and their owners. The Commonwealth of Virginia defined veterinary medicine as essential due to valuable input from the VVMA. There were a multitude of questions: do I adopt curbside transfer, face coverings or masks, which disinfectant is best, do I create pods within our practice, do I ask the 3 questions, how can I help our team manage an ill family member or adjusting to lack of day care or schools, is it a 10 day or 14 day quarantine or is that isolation? We worked together as a community to try to provide answers when there were no clear answers. Part of this was the recognition that we are all in this together. The veterinary practitioner is the dominant public face of our profession, but we were in a stronger position to manage this pandemic because of the contributions of our veterinary colleagues in public health, pharmaceuticals and biologics, academic research and outreach, diagnostic laboratories, and government. I hope we all appreciate that the foundation of clinical practice is based on the critical work of our colleagues in the public and corporate sectors. What can we accomplish in the coming year? The pandemic is still front and center but I see reason for optimism. Many veterinarians and staff have been vaccinated for COVID-19 due to the quick work last spring by our legislative group to put our profession in the 1b category. It appears the role out of vaccines is continuing to accelerate. Saying that, we still know that there
are many other important areas that need our continued attention and efforts. The pandemic has inflicted personal loss to many and increased many stressors associated with our jobs. The mental health challenges associated with the practice of veterinary medicine have increased. Let’s remember to support each other and our Member Assistance Program (vvma.org/MAPinfo) is available to VVMA members and your immediate family members. Student debt has not gone away, but the VVMA is proud to announce the endowment of the VVMA Keith de la Cruz DVM Memorial Scholarship at Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. This scholarship was made possible by the generous donations of many VVMA members. It seemed like a great time to kick this off last February, but in spite of the pandemic, VVMA members came through and met the challenge! We have now acknowledged, at both national and state levels, that our profession is not as diverse as the public we serve. I endorse the concept that the first step to solving a problem is recognizing you have one, thus our profession has made it through the first step. There is a lot of hard work in front of us, but I am convinced that our profession desires to provide the best care possible to all animals and all communities. One of the recent speakers at the AVMA Leadership conference suggested a technique where we ask others about the “4 H’s” – history, heartbreaks, heroes, and hopes. I believe this may be a useful tool to use as we understand the importance of a good history and recognize the mistakes made when we assume we already know the history. Let us take time to listen and learn as we move forward on this journey. Finally, you should have received the registration information for the upcoming Virginia Veterinary Conference in June in Roanoke. This is yet another new experience for us coming at a different time and utilizing a hybrid format. One of the great values of the conference for me is re-connecting with colleagues and making new connections with others. It will be different, but I hope the connection piece remains in place. Please remember that our partners in industry provide financial and personal support to the conference and thus allow us to provide quality CE at a lower rate. The year has been tough on our industry partners as well and please take time to show your appreciation for their support! Again, I thank you for the opportunity to provide this message and I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming year for the profession and the VVMA. Stay safe and let us know how the VVMA can help you in the coming year.
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M Me ee e tt tt h he e V VV VM MA A O O ff ff ii c ce e rr ss President: Dr. Terry Swecker
Dr. Terry Swecker graduated from the VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. After graduation, he worked in a mixed animal practice in Troutville for two years. He returned to the College in 1986 to pursue a PhD and nutrition residency. He joined the faculty in 1990 and is currently a Professor in Large Animal Clinical Sciences and the Director of the Teaching Hospital. Dr. Swecker, currently resides in Blacksburg, VA and the majority of his spare time is spent at the Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech.
President Elect: Dr. Marty Betts
Dr. Marty Betts attended The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine receiving his DVM in 1981. Dr. Betts has practiced companion animal medicine in Virginia since graduation; he moved to Charlottesville and has been a partner in Charlottesville Veterinary Hospital since 1987. Dr. Betts served as VVMA Secretary Treasurer in 2015-2020.
Vice President: Dr. Lauren Maxey
Dr. Lauren Maxey graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2013. After graduation, she began working at Banfield Pet Hospital and has been with the company ever since. She grew up in Virginia Beach and loves visiting her family there as much as she can. She has a miniature dachshund named Tots who, though small and cute, is actually the boss of the household.
Secretary Treasurer: Dr. Brian Neumann
Dr. Brian Neumann is a graduate of Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, VA. His veterinary interests include emergency medicine, geriatric care, and ultrasound. In his free time, he is very interested in scuba diving, fishing, Washington Football Team and Virginia Tech Hokies football, running, hiking, cooking and traveling. He is a proud parent to his rescue pitbull, Camille. Dr. Neumann is the Partner and Medical Director of Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Alexandria, VA.
Legislative Update
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The 2021 Session of the General Assembly was like none in the Commonwealth's 400+ year history. Conducted amid the continuing COVID pandemic, it was a hybrid Session, with in-person Session for the state Senate and the entire House of Delegates meeting for both floor and committee meetings virtually. For the lobbying community and the general public, participation in committee meetings was exclusively provided by Zoom or telephone. Meeting with legislators was ultimately difficult, as lobbyists nor the public were allowed in the legislative office building at any time during the session. However, phone, text, and email allowed us to continue our relationships with legislators to successfully navigate this very, very unusual Session! At the conclusion of the Session, all of the legislation we identified in January as being of interest to the association has been acted on, with many of the bills failing to leave their house of origin. Bills are broken down into Animal Welfare and Employment categories. Unlike many of the recent Sessions, we did not have any pharmacy legislation this year. Animal Welfare Legislation Several pieces of legislation were left in committee (failed), including HB 1744, seizures of animals at zoos, HB 2077, driving while holding a companion animal, HB 2109, to expand the membership of the VDACS Board, and SB 1390, the TNR bill. The TNR bill did pass the Senate on a 26 Y to 13 N vote. However, it was laid on the table in the House Agriculture Subcommittee on a 5 Y to 3 N vote. There is discussion of establishing a workgroup this summer to discuss this legislation and make further refinements; we will keep you posted as this develops. At this writing, SB 1412 (Senator Bill Stanley, R-Franklin) has passed the Senate on a 29 Y - 10 N vote and came out of the House Agriculture Committee on a 18 Y - 3 N vote. This bill prohibits any person from serving as an owner, director, officer, manager, operator, member of staff, or animal caregiver of a pet shop, dealer, or commercial dog breeder if such person has been convicted of animal cruelty. The bill prohibits pet shops from selling or giving for adoption an animal without first obtaining a signed statement from the purchaser or adopter that such person has never been convicted of animal cruelty. A violation of this requirement is a Class 1 misdemeanor. This legislation passed the House on a 67 Y - 28 N vote and is awaiting signature by the Governor. There were an almost equal number of animal welfare bills that passed both bodies and are on their way to the Governor. A pair of bills that survived both houses is the Humane Cosmetics Act (HB 2250, Delegate Kay Kory, D-Fairfax and SB 1379, Senator Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax). These bills prohibit a cosmetics manufacturer from: (i) conducting or contracting for cosmetic animal testing that occurs in the Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2022, (ii)manufacturing or importing for profit into the Commonwealth any cosmetic or ingredient thereof,
if the cosmetics manufacturer knew or reasonably should have known that the cosmetic or any component thereof was developed or manufactured using cosmetic animal testing that was conducted on or after January 1, 2022; or (iii) beginning July 1, 2022, selling or offering for sale within the Commonwealth any cosmetic, if the cosmetics manufacturer knows or reasonably should know that the cosmetic or any component thereof was developed or manufactured using cosmetic animal testing that was conducted on or after January 1, 2022. Violations are subject to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 and an additional $1,000 for each day the violation continues. The bill preempts any local regulation on cosmetic animal testing. The VVMA took no position on these bills, as there are no cosmetic manufacturers in Virginia that will be impacted by this legislation. These bills did not pass unanimously; the House bill passed the House on a 62 Y - 37 N vote and the Senate on a 22 Y 15 N vote. The Senate bill faired slightly better in its original body, with a floor vote in the Senate of 27 Y - 12 N, and a 60 Y - 39 N vote in the House. The two bills are identical in their language, and amendments added to the bill address antitrust concerns because out of state manufacturers are given until January 1, 2022, to comply with the testing and ingredients bans so they may continue to sell products in Virginia under this legislation. Standard language found in the Code of Virginia was used to address this issue; out of state manufacturers will be prevented from importing product into the Commonwealth if they "knew or reasonably should have known" the products or any finished product ingredients were tested on animals. SB 1135 was the Dangerous Dog statute "clean up " bill. This measure, patroned by Senator Dave Marsden (DFairfax), was the work product of the Virginia Animal Control Association, the Virginia Alliance of Animal Shelters, and the Attorney General's Office. This legislation restructures the procedure for adjudication of a dog as a dangerous dog to provide for (i) written notice by an animal control officer to the owner of the dog that he has applied for a summons, and a prohibition on disposal of the dog by the owner for 30 days; (ii) the issuance of a summons with an option rather than a requirement that the officer confine the dog, a prohibition on the disposal of the dog other than by euthanasia, and an authorization for the court to compel the implanting of electronic identification; (iii) the holding of a hearing within 30 days unless good cause is shown; (iv) the authority of the court if deferring further proceedings without adjudicating to compel the implanting of Continued on Pages 7-9
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electronic identification; and (v) a limit of 30 days for any appeal of a dangerous dog adjudication. The bill also authorizes an officer to obtain a summons for a hearing to determine whether a dog that has been surrendered is a dangerous dog and provides that any dangerous dog not reclaimed from the animal control officer within 10 days of notice shall be considered abandoned. The bill imposes new requirements for the transfer of dangerous dogs, requiring a releasing agency that is transferring or releasing for adoption a dangerous dog in the Commonwealth to notify the receiving party of the legal requirements for keeping a dangerous dog. If the agency is transferring the dog outside the Commonwealth, it is required to notify the appropriate animal control officer of the dog's adjudication as dangerous. An owner who is bringing a dog found to be dangerous in another state to reside in the Commonwealth shall notify the local animal control officer. Any owner who disposes of a dangerous dog by gift, sale, transfer, trade, or surrender shall notify the receiver in writing of the dog's adjudication as dangerous, with a violation penalized as a Class 3 misdemeanor. Finally, the bill provides that if a dangerous dog adjudication occurred within 60 days of the end of the calendar year, the first renewal of the dangerous dog registration shall be included in the initial registration at no additional charge. The House added language that requires the owner of a dog found to be dangerous to maintain the liability insurance coverage or bond in surety required by subdivision B 3 of the legislation as long as he owns the dangerous dog and shall submit a certificate of insurance or evidence of bond to animal control on an annual basis. This bill passed the Senate Agriculture Committee and the floor on a unanimous vote. However, the bill as amended by the House Agriculture Subcommittee passed the full House committee on a 16 Y - 5 N vote with a House floor vote of 77 Y 23 N. The bill went back to the Senate to accept the House amendments; it did on an almost unanimous vote and the legislation is awaiting the Governor's signature. The VVMA supported this legislation. Finally, SB 1417 (Senator Bill Stanley, R-Franklin) requires any animal testing facility, defined in the bill, that no longer has need for a dog or cat in its possession that does not pose a health or safety risk to the public or itself to offer, for a reasonable period of time prior to euthanasia, such dog or cat for adoption to a releasing agency or through a private placement or in the case of a testing facility operated by an agency or institution of higher education, develop its own adoption program. The bill authorizes an animal testing facility to enter into an agreement with a releasing agency for the implementation of the adoption. Violation is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 and any court costs and attorney fees. VVMA supported this bill as amended in the Senate Agriculture Committee to continue to allow the VRCVM to directly adopt out their teaching beagles once their service to the students is completed. This bill has the honor of being the only animal legislation in the 2021 Session to pass its committees and both floor votes unanimously. It was obviously a bill all of our legislators could support. Continued on Pages 8-9
PAGE 08 We flagged an additional Department of Health Professions bill, HB 2218 (Delegate Cliff Hayes, D-Chesapeake), legislation which permits pharmaceutical processors to produce and distribute cannabis products other than cannabis oil. There was discussion about whether this bill impacted veterinarians; we were advised by DHP that this legislation has no impact on veterinarians or their practice. Employment Legislation The VVMA identified a number of paid leave, sick leave, and other employment legislation that could negatively impact veterinary practices. Thanks to diligent lobbying efforts by our organization and the Virginia Business Coalition, most of them were killed or left in committee. There were a number of House bills on our list, including HB 1785 (Delegate Jeion Ward, D-Hampton), HB 2016 (Delegate Haya Alaya , D-Prince William), HB 2103 (Delegate David Reid, D-Loundoun), and HB 2270 (Delegate Danny Marshall, R-Danville). Two Senate bills we flagged were also killed in their house of origin. SB 1159 (Senator Barbara Favola, DFairfax) and SB 1323 (Senator Siobhan Dunnavent, R-Henrico) proposed legislation on paid sick leave and worker classification of independent contractors, respectively. SB 1159 required employers with a sick leave program to allow an employee to use his sick leave for the care of an immediate family member. The measure applied only to employers that have 25 or more employees and that provided paid sick leave that allowed an employee to be absent from work in the event of the employee's own incapacity, illness, or injury. The measure applied only to employees who work at least 30 hours per week, and it capped the amount of sick leave that may be used for the care of immediate family members at five days per calendar year. VVMA supported this bill because it was not a new mandate on an employer, and it was a reasonable approach in allowing paid sick leave to be used to care for a family member. It survived the Senate Commerce and Labor committee on a close 8 Y - 7 N vote. It was then sent to the Senate Finance Committee, where it was stricken at the request of the patron. Because the legislation applied to state employees, several key Democrats on the Commerce and Labor committee voted against the bill. Since two Democratic Senators who voted against the bill in Commerce and Labor also serve on Senate Finance, Senator Favola knew what the outcome would be, and therefore struck her own bill. SB 1323 provided that in a proceeding involving allegations of worker misclassification, an individual or business was not considered an employee with respect to a hiring party if the person qualified as an independent contractor relative to the hiring party under the common law right-of control test as established by the Internal Revenue Service Revenue Ruling 87-41, by an applicable determination of the Internal Revenue Service, or if (i) the individual or business signed a written contract with the hiring party stating that the individual or business was self-employed or was being engaged as an independent contractor and contained certain acknowledgments, (ii) the individual or business had the right to control the manner and means by which the final result of the work was to be accomplished, and (iii) four or more additional criteria provided for in the bill were satisfied. The bill also provided that a hiring party alleging that a worker misclassification claim was frivolous or improper could have filed a motion to dismiss such claim. The bill provided that a contract or written agreement expressly stating that a claimant is not considered an employee was considered as prima facie evidence of a violation of frivolous pleading provisions. VVMA and many in the business community supported this legislation; it passed the Commerce and Labor Committee on a bipartisan 14 Y - 1 N vote but was passed by indefinitely in the Senate Courts Committee on a 10 Y - 5 N vote. However, the motion included a Chairman's Letter to the Department of Taxation to look at the issue; we may see legislation next Session that encompasses recommendations from Taxation regarding this bill and gives it a good chance of passage in the 2022 Session. A terrible employer bill we were very concerned about was finally laid on the table in a House Appropriations subcommittee on February 17th. SB 1362 was amended throughout the process to shift the burden of reporting a workplace COVID outbreak from the employer to the Department of Health. Upon determination that a worksite cluster of COVID-19 has occurred at a workplace with 50 or more employees, the Department of Health was required to make a report available to the public on a website maintained by the Department that includes (i) the name of the employer at which a worksite cluster has been reported and (ii) the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by such employer. The Department was also required to report when previously reported outbreaks were under control. The bill provided that the provisions of the act should expire upon expiration of the Governor's declared state of emergency. The provisions of the bill were contingent on funding in the budget; the budget committee members pulled the plug on this legislation. Since the Health Department is already responsible for contact tracing and businesses are operating under the Department of Labor COVID regulations, this legislation was thankfully seen as unnecessary overreach, although it literally took almost the entire Session to kill it. Continued on Page 9
A number of employment bills did pass the House and Senate, including HB 2063 (Delegate Michael Mullins, DJames City), HB 2137 (Delegate Elizabeth Guzman, D- Prince William), SB 1219 (Senator Barbara Favola, DFairfax), and SB 1403 (Senator Todd Pillion, R- Abingdon). HB 2063, the Virginia Overtime Wage Act, requires an employer to compensate its employees who are entitled to overtime compensation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act at a rate not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay, defined in the bill, for any hours worked in excess of 40 hours in any one workweek. The bill includes provisions for calculating overtime premiums due to fire protection and law-enforcement employees by certain public sector employers. The penalties provided by the bill for an employer's failure to pay such overtime wages, including civil and criminal penalties, are the same as currently provided for failing to pay wages generally. The statute of limitations for bringing a claim for a violation of the bill is three years. There were a number of amendments in the Senate that help reign in the bill. Additional Senate language clarifies that only regular pay is counted and per Federal law, this Act excludes other bonuses or one time cash payments towards regular pay. It explicitly clarifies that Virginia is using what the Federal government defines as an exemption for employees who are most likely salaried, like professionals or those in commission sales. In essence, employers will now follow the same overtime rules set at the Federal level that we have always had to follow. The one difference this bill truly makes is that enforcement can now be in state court - which is already the case with other pay and wage issues, like wage theft. This bill came out of the House on a party-line vote; it was amended in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, passed the Senate on a party-line vote, but left on the House floor after that body accepted the Senate amendments - a long way of saying the bill was ultimately killed on the last day of Session. HB 2137 is the one paid leave bill that survived crossover. It requires employers to provide certain employees, defined in the Senate substitute as a home healthcare worker, with paid sick leave. An employee is eligible for paid sick leave under the bill if the employee is a home healthcare worker and works on average at least 20 hours per week or 90 hours per month. This bill passed both houses on a party-line vote. SB 1219 is a bill that VVMA supported regarding paid family leave in the Commonwealth. This legislation directs the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance to review and make recommendations, including any necessary statutory and regulatory changes, to authorize the State Corporation Commission to approve the sale of individual and group paid family leave plans in Virginia. The bill requires the Bureau to convene a stakeholder group to participate in the process, which is required to include representatives from the insurance industry and the business community, advocates for paid family leave, and other interested parties. The bill requires the Bureau to report its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committees on Commerce and Labor and Finance and Appropriations and the House Committees on Labor and Commerce and Appropriations by November 30, 2021. This bill passed the Senate with a decent margin, 24 Y - 13 N. The vote coming out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee was a party-line vote, at 13 Y - 9 N. The House floor vote also split down party line.
SB 1403 (and its companion House bill, HB 2185 by Delegate Kathy Byron, R-Bedford) is a bill VVMA supported, and we are very pleased it passed with an emergency clause attached. These bills establish a retail sales and use tax exemption for personal protective equipment purchased by businesses during the pandemic. The exemption would be available to any business that has in place a COVID-19 safety protocol that complies with the Emergency Temporary Standard promulgated by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. The exemption would sunset on the first day following the expiration of the last executive order issued by the Governor related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the termination of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard and any permanent COVID-19 regulations adopted by the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board. The emergency clause makes it effective upon signature of the Governor. The final bill we lobbied for is SB 1146, legislation allowing for a $100,000 cap on income deductions claimed under PPP expenditures. The House bill, HB 1935 allows for only a $25,000 cap. When the two chambers considered each other’s bills, the House modified SB 1146 to a $25,000 cap, while the Senate amended HB 1935 to a $100,000 cap. After passing the modified versions, both chambers then rejected the modified versions of their original bills, sending them to a conference committee on February 19th. All House and Senate Republicans believe the state should fully conform our tax policy to the Federal standard regarding PPP money: the full amount does NOT count as taxable income and ALL business expenses made using PPP money are fully deductible. The Virginia House and Senate conformed on the income side but not on the deduction side, hence the wide gulf in the legislation. Not surprisingly, the VVMA and the entire business community lobbied hard for the $100,000 cap in deductions. We are pleased to report that this effort was successful, and the $100,000 deduction prevailed. Thanks to everyone for their interest in this year's very different General Assembly Session. Despite its challenges, it was a successful one for the association. Submitted by Susan Seward, VVMA Legislative Consultant & Jason Bollenbeck, DVM & Kelly Gottschalk, DVM, VVMA Legislative Co-Chairs
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june 10-12, 2021
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earn up to 15 CE hours!
ONE CONFERENCE | TWO WAYS TO ATTEND | IN-PERSON OR VIRTUALLY Our conference participants' health and safety is our greatest priority. We want everyone to feel comfortable participating at the 2021 Virginia Veterinary Conference, which helped us come to the decision to have a HYBRID conference. If COVID regulations allow, we will host our traditional & intimate, in-person conference at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center and make necessary modifications to have a safe and productive meeting. Social distancing and face coverings will be required. We will also offer a virtual registration option where both attendees and vendors may fully participate in the conference, from the comfort of their home or office. VVMA and the Hotel Roanoke will make efforts to comply with the current CDC recommendations and any state of Virginia requirements. We greatly appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility, as plans are fluid and may change at any point.
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Hotel Information The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center (110 Shenandoah Ave NE, Roanoke, VA 24016) is offering a conference rate of $144 single/double per night, plus applicable taxes & fees. Please make your room reservation before May 10, 2021. Hotel reservations are to be made directly with the Hotel Roanoke by calling 540-985-5900 or online here. *Rooms are subject to sell out before the cut off date. To avoid a penalty/fee, cancellations must be made 48 hours prior to check-in date.
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Mentor Day
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Interested in being a mentor to a veterinary student? SIGN UP HERE
in conjunction with
CONNECT 2021
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TOSHA STARKE, DVM 12 YEARS IN PRACTICE. PERSONABLE; AVAILABLE MONDAY-SATURDAY IN NORTHERN VA; CURRENT DEA LICENSE; LICENSED IN VA; PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES AVAILABLE; WWW.ALLFOURPAWSVETRELIEF.COM (540) 239-8714 | INFO@ALLFOURPAWSVETRELIEF.COM
KATRINA (KITTI) TADEMA-WIELANDT, DVM WAYNESBORO & 100 MILE RADIUS; AVAILABLE FOR LONG AND SHORT TERM RELIEF; 20+ YEARS EXPERIENCE IN SMALL ANIMAL MEDICINE INCLUDING EMERGENCY (540) 943-5731 | 1987UIVET@GMAIL.COM
KATRIN VENTOCILLA ROBINSON, DVM 2008 GRADUATE, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL MAYOR DE SAN MARCOS, LIMA-PERU. WORKED 3 YEARS AS HEAD LVT PRIOR TO ECFVG CERTIFICATION AS A US DVM IN 2016. EXPERIENCED WORKING IN A FAST PACE SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE IN NORTHERN VA. FLUENT IN SPANISH & GERMAN. CURRENT VA AND DEA LICENSE. USDA ACCREDITED. 571-839-3971 | KATRINVENTOCILLADVM@GMAIL.COM
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VIRGINIA VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION // SPRING 2021
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