Five Policy Fights That Will Define the Future of American Veterinary Medicine — And How You Can Make a Difference
The veterinary profession does not lack for challenges. Student debt burdens, workforce shortages, mental health pressures, and evolving client expectations all demand attention. But beneath the day-to-day demands of clinical practice, a set of policy battles is unfolding in state capitals and in Washington, D.C., that will determine the structural conditions under which veterinary medicine operates for a generation.
These are not abstract regulatory disputes. They are decisions about who can own your practice, how you can treat your patients remotely, whether your community qualifies for federal support, and what roles other professionals can legally perform in your exam room. Every one of these issues is moving through the legislative and regulatory process right now—which means the window for meaningful engagement is open, but it will not remain open indefinitely.
VetPAC has identified five policy flashpoints that every American veterinarian should understand and actively engage with. Here is what is at stake, where things stand, and what you can do.
1. Veterinary Telehealth and the VCPR Question
What's at stake: The veterinarian-client-patient relationship is the legal and ethical cornerstone of veterinary practice. Traditionally, establishing a valid VCPR required an in-person examination. As telehealth platforms have proliferated—particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic—pressure has mounted to allow the VCPR to be established remotely for certain types of consultations.
Proponents argue that virtual consultations can extend care to underserved rural and low-income communities. Critics within the profession express legitimate concern that loosening VCPR standards could compromise diagnostic accuracy, expose practitioners to liability, and open the door to unregulated advice platforms that operate outside professional oversight structures.
Where things stand: At the federal level, the USDA has been studying telehealth's implications for veterinary practice, particularly in food animal and agricultural contexts. At the state level, the regulatory picture is highly fragmented. States including Colorado, California, and Virginia have enacted or proposed rules that modify VCPR requirements for telemedicine, while others maintain strict in-person standards. Several state veterinary medical boards are actively revising their practice act guidance.
What you can do: Contact your state veterinary medical board and state association to understand where your state's VCPR rules currently stand. If your state is reviewing telehealth regulations, submit public comments through the official rulemaking process—board members and legislators take direct input from licensed practitioners seriously. Support VetPAC and your state PAC in advocating for frameworks that expand access without compromising professional standards.
2. Non-DVM Ownership of Veterinary Practices
What's at stake: Most states currently require that veterinary practices be owned by licensed veterinarians. This restriction is designed to ensure that clinical and ethical decision-making remains in the hands of trained professionals rather than being subordinated to investor return expectations. However, corporate consolidation in the veterinary industry has created powerful financial interests pushing to liberalize these ownership rules.
If non-DVM ownership becomes broadly permissible, the implications are significant: independent practices may face increased acquisition pressure, clinical autonomy could be constrained by non-clinical management, and the profession's ability to self-govern may be diminished. At the same time, some argue that outside capital could improve access to care in underserved markets.
Where things stand: Several states have considered legislation that would permit non-veterinarian ownership under various structural models. California's assembly has seen multiple attempts to create investment vehicles that effectively circumvent current ownership restrictions. At the federal level, there is no uniform standard, leaving this as a state-by-state fight.
What you can do: Know the ownership laws in your state and monitor your state legislature's health and agriculture committee calendars for relevant bills. Engage with your state veterinary medical association's advocacy network. If you employ associates or manage a group practice, consider how your organizational voice can amplify advocacy efforts. Contributions to state veterinary PACs that are actively fighting ownership liberalization legislation provide direct leverage at critical moments.
3. Veterinary Shortage Area Designations and Federal Support Programs
What's at stake: The United States faces a significant and growing shortage of veterinary professionals, particularly in rural areas, food animal medicine, and public health positions. Federal programs—including the USDA's Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) and the Health Resources and Services Administration's consideration of veterinary shortage designations—represent meaningful tools for directing practitioners to underserved communities.
However, these programs are perennially underfunded, and the criteria for shortage area designation have not always kept pace with the profession's evolving geographic and specialty distribution needs. Without adequate federal investment, rural and agricultural communities will continue to face critical gaps in animal health infrastructure.
Where things stand: The VMLRP has received bipartisan support in Congress, but appropriations have consistently fallen short of demand. Legislative proposals to expand the program's funding and broaden eligibility criteria have been introduced in both chambers. The 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization process included provisions relevant to veterinary workforce support, with outcomes carrying forward into 2024 and 2025 implementation.
What you can do: Reach out to your Congressional representatives—particularly those serving on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees—to express support for robust VMLRP funding and expanded shortage designation criteria. VetPAC's federal advocacy resources include template letters and direct contact information for key committee members. If you practice in or near a rural or underserved area, your personal testimony about workforce gaps is extraordinarily persuasive to legislators.
4. Veterinary Technician Scope-of-Practice Expansion
What's at stake: Legislation expanding the scope of practice for veterinary technicians—particularly Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS)—is advancing in multiple states. Proponents argue that allowing credentialed technicians to perform additional diagnostic and treatment functions, with or without direct veterinarian supervision, can address workforce shortages and improve patient access. Opponents within the veterinary community raise concerns about patient safety, professional accountability, and the long-term implications for the veterinarian's role as the primary decision-maker in clinical care.
This is not a simple debate, and reasonable professionals hold differing views. What is clear is that the outcome of these legislative contests will materially reshape the division of labor within veterinary medicine.
Where things stand: Texas, Minnesota, and several other states have active legislation or regulatory proceedings addressing technician scope-of-practice. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) has been actively lobbying for expanded recognition, while state veterinary medical associations have taken varying positions—ranging from opposition to conditional support contingent on supervisory safeguards.
What you can do: Engage with your state association's position on scope-of-practice legislation and participate in any public comment periods or legislative hearings. If you supervise veterinary technicians in your practice, your operational perspective on supervision requirements is directly relevant to legislative debates. Nuanced, constructive engagement—rather than reflexive opposition—tends to be more effective in shaping the final form of legislation.
5. Veterinary Student Debt and Workforce Pipeline Legislation
What's at stake: The average veterinary school graduate carries a debt burden that has reached crisis proportions, with many new DVMs entering practice owing $150,000 to $250,000 or more. This financial reality distorts career choices—pushing graduates toward high-revenue specialty and companion animal practices in urban markets, and away from food animal medicine, public health, research, and rural general practice. The profession's long-term workforce distribution depends on addressing this structural imbalance.
Federal legislation addressing student loan terms, income-driven repayment modifications, and targeted forgiveness programs for veterinarians entering shortage-area or public service positions could substantially alter these career calculus equations.
Where things stand: Broader federal student debt policy remains in flux following Supreme Court decisions limiting executive forgiveness authority. Legislative proposals specifically targeting veterinary and agricultural professional debt—including expansions of the VMLRP and new Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) clarity for veterinarians in government and nonprofit roles—have found sponsors in Congress but face uncertain paths to passage.
What you can do: Contact your Senators and Representative to express support for targeted veterinary debt relief and VMLRP expansion. Share your own debt experience—with appropriate privacy boundaries—when engaging with legislators or their staff, as personal narratives remain among the most powerful tools in any advocacy toolkit. Encourage veterinary school classmates and colleagues to engage with their own representatives, multiplying the profession's collective voice.
The Urgency Is Real
Each of these five issues is moving through legislative and regulatory processes on timelines measured in months, not years. The decisions made in 2024 and 2025 will establish precedents and statutory frameworks that will be difficult to reverse. The profession's capacity to influence these outcomes depends entirely on the willingness of individual veterinarians—practitioners, researchers, educators, and students—to engage with the political and regulatory systems that govern their work.
VetPAC exists to provide that engagement infrastructure: connecting veterinary professionals with the advocacy resources, policy information, and political access needed to make the profession's voice heard at every level of government. The policy battles outlined here are winnable. But winning requires showing up.
Visit vetpac.org to learn how to get involved, find your state's advocacy resources, and add your voice to the profession's most important conversations.
