The Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine is an occupational licensing agency with administrative regulatory powers over veterinarians (DVMs), registered veterinary technicians (RVTs), and companion animal euthanasia technicians (CAETs) licensed by the Board. Complaints cannot be accepted or investigated against a facility/clinic/hospital as a whole, as our agency only has administrative regulatory authority over those individuals licensed by the Board to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Louisiana. Our regulatory authorities are the Veterinary Practice Act (La. R.S. 37:1511 et seq.), the Board Rules as promulgated in the Louisiana Administrative Code (LAC 46:LXXXV) or the AVMA’s Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics, which were adopted by the Board. As such, any complaint submitted to the Board must be against the individual(s) licensed by the Board and whom you feel were in violation of these specific regulatory authorities. In order to pursue a possible investigation, the Board must have a formal complaint submitted against an individual licensee specifically relative to the Board’s regulatory authorities previous mentioned.
The official complaint form must be submitted along with any supplemental documents you feel are pertinent to your allegation against the licensee(s). If the complaint is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Veterinary Medicine, the complaint will be assigned to the Board’s legal counsel and a sitting board member for investigation. Anonymous complaints cannot be accepted against an individual licensee(s) nor can general complaints be accepted against a facility as the Board does not have regulatory authority over facilities. The Louisiana APA (Administrative Procedure Act) requires that the respondent (i.e.- the individual licensed by the Board) be given “due process”, which means the prosecution takes place under a standard of “fundamental fairness”. The primary hallmarks of fundamental fairness are notice of the proceedings, jurisdiction over the person accused and an opportunity to confront the witnesses against you. If the investigating Board member decides that the Board has the evidence and the grounds to take action, and no informal resolution is possible (consent order), then the Board formally prosecutes the claim. At that point the complaint is given to the person accused. The respondent is entitled to know who the witnesses will be, etc.
How do I file a complaint against a veterinarian, registered veterinary technician, or companion animal euthanasia technician?
- Anyone may file a complaint against a licensee of the Board but complaints must be received in written form.
- You must download and print out the appropriate complaint form below, and then complete it and mail it or email it to director@lsbvm.org (or mail it to our address below) with any supplemental documentation to the Board per the instructions on the form. If you are filing a complaint against a licensee, you should submit the “Complaint Against Licensee” Form. If you believe a person is practicing veterinary medicine without a license and would like to file a complaint, please submit the “Complaint Against NON-Licensee” form.
Complaint Against Non-Licensee
- If you are unable to download and print the complaint form, you may call our office at 225-925-6620 and request us to mail a copy of the form to you.
- Please describe your complaint in detail; include facts, dates, and full names of persons involved. Additionally, if you are filing a complaint against a licensee, you MUST provide the license number for the respondent. You can look up all active licensee information in the LBVM Licensee Directory.
- The Complaint Form must be emailed (preferred) with all supplemental documentation to director@lsbvm.org or mailed via USPS, FedEx, etc to the address below:
LA Board of Veterinary Medicine
5825 Florida Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
How are complaints resolved?
- Each complaint is reviewed and evaluated, first to determine if the complaint or allegations involves a person licensed by this Board, and secondly, whether the allegations would be a violation of the Louisiana Veterinary Practice Act and/or Board promulgated Rules.
- If the complaint is not under our jurisdiction, we may refer the complaint to another agency, or we may close the complaint with no action.
- PLEASE NOTE: The Board of Veterinary Medicine does not have jurisdiction over complaints involving rudeness, customer service, and/or pricing or billing disputes.
- If the complaint is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Veterinary Medicine, the complaint will be assigned to the Board’s legal counsel and a sitting board member for investigation.
- The Board’s legal counsel may contact you for additional information about your complaint, so all contact information must be provided on the complaint form.
- If a complaint results in disciplinary action against the licensee, the action may range from a formal Letter of Warning to a formal Letter of Reprimand to Probation [active license but restricted in some manner] to Suspension [inactive license unable to practice] to Revocation [license removed]. Further, the Board may levy a fine as well as recover its administrative and investigative costs.
- The Board does not represent the complainant (person making the complaint) and does not have authority to seek restitution or money damages on behalf of the complainant or any other individual.
- Individual Board Members should not be contacted directly regarding possible violations of the Veterinary Practice Act as this may cause that member(s) to be forced to recuse himself from the case and delay the final decision-making process.
Will I be informed as to the resolution of my complaint?
- The Board’s legal counsel and/or administrative office will notify you in writing when the complaint is closed and any final disciplinary action has been taken.
- Due to the existing caseload for the board members, it is difficult to predict, in advance, the amount of time necessary to investigate and resolve a specific complaint. The investigation and review process can take several months on average, if not longer.