§1060c. Provision of veterinary services in emergencies

(a) In General.-A veterinary professional described in subsection (b) may provide veterinary services for the purposes described in subsection (c) in any State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession of the United States, without regard to where such veterinary professional or the patient animal are located, if the provision of such services is within the scope of the authorized duties of such veterinary professional for the Department of Defense.

(b) Veterinary Professional Described.-A veterinary professional described in this subsection is an individual who is-

(1)(A) a member of the armed forces, a civilian employee of the Department of Defense, or otherwise credentialed and privileged at a Federal veterinary institution or location designated by the Secretary of Defense for purposes of this section; or

(B) a member of the National Guard performing training or duty under section 502(f) of title 32;

(2) certified as a veterinary professional by a certification recognized by the Secretary of Defense; and

(3) currently licensed by a State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession of the United States to provide veterinary services.

(c) Purposes Described.-The purposes described in this subsection are veterinary services in response to any of the following:

(1) A national emergency declared by the President pursuant to the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).

(2) A major disaster or an emergency (as those terms are defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)).

(3) A public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d).

(4) An extraordinary emergency, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture under section 10407(b) of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8306(b)).

(Added Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VII, §735(a), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1462 .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The National Emergencies Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is Pub. L. 94–412, Sept. 14, 1976, 90 Stat. 1255 , which is classified principally to chapter 34 (§1601 et seq.) of Title 50, War and National Defense. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1601 of Title 50 and Tables.