VE 4.02(6)(6) “Impaired veterinary professional” means a credential holder, a veterinarian student studying or working in Wisconsin, or an unlicensed veterinary assistant working in Wisconsin, who voluntarily seeks assistance because of a self-identified alcohol, drug or other chemical, or mental health impairment.

VE 4.02(7)(7) “Medical review officer” means a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy who is a licensed physician and who has knowledge of substance abuse disorders and has appropriate medical training to interpret and evaluate an individual’s confirmed positive test result together with an individual’s medical history and any other relevant biomedical information.

VE 4.02(8)(8) “Program” means any entity contracted by the board to provide the veterinary professional assistance program on behalf of the board.

VE 4.02(9)(9) “Screening panel” means the board committee that reviews complaints to see if investigation by disciplinary counsel is warranted and reviews possible settlements and orders against credential holders.

VE 4.02(10)(10) “Service provider” means any program-approved provider of assessment, testing, treatment, rehabilitation, monitoring, and support for any specified impairments by the use of alcohol or other drugs or chemicals or of mental health. The term includes any person supervising thecredential holder while working as a veterinary professional.

VE 4.02(11)(11) “Voluntary program” means the component of the veterinary professional assistance program that an impaired veterinary professional, as defined in sub. (6), may utilize for assistance with a self-identified alcohol, drug or other chemical, or mental health impairment, through a participation agreement with the program.

VE 4.02 HistoryHistory: EmR1718: emerg. cr., eff. 11-22-17; CR 17-083: cr. Register July 2018 No. 751, eff. 8-1-18; correction in (10) made under s. 35.17, Stats., and correction in (11) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register Juy 2018 No. 751.

VE 4.04(1)(1) The board may enter into a contract with a nonprofit corporation or veterinary professional association to provide a veterinary professional assistance program, which may include any or all of the following:

VE 4.04(1)(a)(a) Contracting with assessment, testing, treatment, rehabilitation, monitoring, or support service providers, in accordance with the requirements in ss. VE 4.12 and 4.14. The program shall inform all service providers, and update changes in this information as soon as possible, of the employees in the program designated to receive required information from the service provider.

VE 4.04(1)(d)(d) Signing a confidential participation agreement with impaired veterinary professionals for making referrals to them to utilize services, from service providers contracted with under par. (a), outside the disciplinary process.

VE 4.04(1)(f)(f) Providing post-treatment monitoring and support to impaired veterinary professionals in the voluntary program and credential holders in the disciplinary program.

VE 4.04(1)(i)(i) Reporting all require information in the disciplinary program, so the board may carry out its disciplinary authority under ss. VE 1.60 and 2.28.

VE 4.04(2)(2) The board and the program, as part of the contract, shall agree to eligibility criteria for credential holders to be accepted into the disciplinary program, to fulfill the requirements in s. 89.03 (3), Stats.

VE 4.04(3)(3) The board and the program, as part of the contract, shall agree to eligibility criteria for impaired veterinary professionals to be accepted into the voluntary program, to fulfill the requirements in s. 89.03 (3), Stats. The program may not accept a credential holder to the voluntary program, if the board’s disciplinary process has an outstanding complaint against that credential holder.

VE 4.04(4)(4) Except for information produced for the board under sub. (1) (h) and (i), all information, interviews, records, reports, statements, memoranda, or other documents furnished to or produced by the program, are confidential.

VE 4.04 HistoryHistory: EmR1718: emerg. cr., eff. 11-22-17; CR 17-083: cr. Register July 2018 No. 751, eff. 8-1-18; correction in (1) (a), (i), (4) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2018 No. 751; CR 21-062: am. (1) (a), (i) Register July 2022 No. 799, eff. 8-1-22; correction in (1) (i) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2022 No. 799.

VE 4.06(1)(1) The board, or disciplinary counsel upon direction by the screening panel, may stipulate with a credential holder in the disciplinary process, to refer the credential holder to the disciplinary program as part of a settlement for uncontested unprofessional conduct on the part of the credential holder. The stipulation shall include language that a referral does not guarantee acceptance of the credential holder by the disciplinary program and the potential consequences if the credential holder is not accepted in the disciplinary program or does not complete the terms of acceptance. The stipulation, or a separate stipulation or order, may include other discipline to be completed by the credential holder, separate from the disciplinary program.

VE 4.06(2)(2) The program shall supply a referred credential holder an application for participation. As part of the application, the credential holder agrees that all relevant materials from the board’s disciplinary proceedings may be released to the program to make its determination as to the applicant’s eligibility.

VE 4.06(3)(3) The program shall determine the credential holder’s eligibility, based upon the criteria in the contract, by reviewing all relevant materials, including investigative results and the credential holder’s application for participation.

VE 4.06(4)(4) The program shall inform the credential holder and board if the holder is ineligible for acceptance. A credential holder determined to be ineligible for the disciplinary program may, within 10 days of notice of the determination, request the board to review the adverse determination.