SB 190

General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 190
   February Session, 2026
 AN ACT AUTHORIZING CERTAIN FOREIGN-EDUCATED
 VETERINARIANS TO PRACTICE UNDER A TEMPORARY PERMIT
 AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A VETERINARIAN-CLIENT-PATIENT
 RELATIONSHIP THROUGH THE USE OF TELEHEALTH FOR THE
 TREATMENT OF URGENT MEDICAL CONDITIONS.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
 Assembly convened:
1Section 1. Section 20-200 of the general statutes is repealed and the
2    following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
3      (a) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 20-198, the
4   Department of Public Health may issue a license by endorsement to any
5   veterinarian of good professional character who is currently licensed
6   and practicing in some other state or territory, having requirements for
7   admission determined by the department to be at least equal to the
8   requirements of this state, upon the payment of a fee of five hundred
9   sixty-five dollars to said department. Notwithstanding the provisions of
10   section 20-198, the department may, upon payment of a fee of five
11   hundred sixty-five dollars, issue a license without examination to a
12   currently practicing, competent veterinarian in another state or territory
13   who [(1)] (A) holds a current valid license in good professional standing
14   issued after examination by another state or territory that maintains
15   licensing standards which, except for examination, are commensurate
16   with this state's standards, and [(2)] (B) has worked continuously as a
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17 licensed veterinarian in an academic or clinical setting in another state
18 or territory for a period of not less than five years immediately
19 preceding the application for licensure without examination. No license
20 shall be issued under this section to any applicant against whom
21 professional disciplinary action is pending or who is the subject of an
22 unresolved complaint. The department shall inform the board annually
23 of the number of applications it receives for licensure under this section.
24    [(b)] (2) The Department of Public Health may issue a temporary
25 permit under this subsection to an applicant for licensure without
26 examination upon receipt of a completed application form,
27 accompanied by the fee for licensure without examination, a copy of a
28 current license from another state of the United States, the District of
29 Columbia or a commonwealth or territory subject to the laws of the
30 United States, and a notarized affidavit attesting that the license is valid
31 and belongs to the person requesting notarization. Such temporary
32 permit shall be valid for a period not to exceed one hundred twenty
33 calendar days and shall not be renewable. The department shall not
34 issue a temporary permit under this section to any applicant against
35 whom professional disciplinary action is pending, or who is the subject
36 of an unresolved complaint.
37    (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 20-198, the Department
38 of Public Health may issue a temporary permit to an applicant who (1)
39 is a graduate from a school located outside of the United States, its
40 territories or Canada with a degree of doctor of veterinary medicine, or
41 its equivalent, from a program acceptable to the American Veterinary
42 Medical Association as required to receive certification by the
43 Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates, (2) is
44 working toward receiving certification from the Educational
45 Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates or Program for the
46 Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence, and (3) has passed the
47 written, oral and practical examinations required under section 20-199.
48 Such temporary permit shall authorize the holder to practice veterinary
49 medicine only under the direct supervision of a veterinarian who has
50 been licensed under chapter 384 for not less than four years. Such
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51 temporary permit shall be valid for a period not to exceed two years
52 after the date of issuance, except such temporary permit shall be
53 renewable once for a period of two years if the applicant fails to receive
54 certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary
55 Graduates or Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education
56 Equivalence within the first two-year period. No fee shall be required
57 for the issuance or renewal of a temporary permit under this section. As
58 used in this subsection, "direct supervision" means the licensed
59 veterinarian is present in the office where the temporary permit holder
60 is performing such holder's duties and immediately available to furnish
61 assistance and direction to such holder throughout the performance of
62 such duties.
63    Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 20-197 of the general statutes is
64 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
65 1, 2026):
66    (c) [A] (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, a
67 veterinarian-client-patient relationship may not be established solely
68 through veterinary telemedicine. After a veterinarian-client-patient
69 relationship has been established, such relationship may be maintained
70 through veterinary telemedicine in between medically necessary
71 examinations of the animal by the veterinarian or timely medical visits
72 by the veterinarian to the location where the animal is kept. If there is
73 no veterinarian-client-patient relationship, a veterinarian may only
74 provide general advice using electronic means and shall not provide any
75 specific advice regarding the animal, including, but not limited to, any
76 diagnosis or recommended medical care or treatment of the animal. As
77 used in this subsection, "veterinary telemedicine" means the exchange
78 of medical information regarding the status of an animal's health or the
79 delivery of a medical diagnosis, care or treatment of an animal through
80 electronic means, including, but not limited to, telephone, video, mobile
81 applications or an Internet web site-based platform.
82    (2) A veterinarian-client-patient relationship may be established
83 through veterinary telemedicine only when (A) a veterinarian
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84 determines that the animal is in urgent need of medical care or treatment
85 that will take a maximum of fourteen days for the veterinarian to
86 administer to the animal, and (B) the client schedules an in-person
87 examination of the animal by the veterinarian to occur not later than
88 fourteen days after the initial veterinary telemedicine visit. The
89 veterinarian-client-patient relationship established under this
90 subdivision shall not continue after such fourteen-day period ends
91 unless the veterinarian examines the animal in person within such
92 fourteen-day period.
  This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
  sections:
  Section 1      October 1, 2026  20-200
  Sec. 2  October 1, 2026  20-197(c)
 PH  Joint Favorable Subst.
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