QUARTERLY BEAT / DECEMBER 2025
KEY QUESTIONS & CONCERNS: WHAT WE’VE LEARNED (2024–2025) SCOPE CLARITY IS CRITICAL (AND STILL UNCLEAR) One of the biggest debates with Prop 129 is how broadly VPAs will be permitted to act—especially in surgical, diagnostic, and therapeutic domains. Prop 129’s ballot language and statute use terms like “routine surgeries” and “tasks within their qualifications”, 7 but critics argue that such language leaves too much ambiguity. After a year, stakeholders (including veterinary associations and state regulators) are actively working to clarify: • Which spay/neuter or soft tissue surgeries VPAs may perform, and under what supervision (direct, indirect, or remote oversight). • Whether VPAs may prescribe or dispense controlled or non- controlled drugs, and under whose responsibility/license. • How emergency interventions (e.g. stabilization, urgent surgery) may be allocated or restricted. • How diagnostics & imaging interpretation responsibilities will be divided. Professional organizations continue to emphasize that any delegated authority must ensure that a licensed veterinarian retains ultimate responsibility and oversight.3 In their “Midlevel Practitioner Proposal Secures Enough Votes in Colorado” commentary, AVMA also flagged concern that insufficiently rigorous training (e.g., partly online) might underprepare VPAs for surgical or medical complications. 8 It’s also important to emphasize that defining a clear scope of practice for a VPA inherently requires clarifying the roles of credentialed veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants. We’re introducing a new position into a system that already faces role confusion. Without clearly outlining the responsibilities of all existing professionals, regulating this new role will be challenging. Because rulemaking is ongoing, it is essential that practices engage in the regulatory process (public comment, board hearings) if they want a voice in shaping safe, workable frameworks. WORKFORCE & ECONOMICS: EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITIES HYPOTHESIS AT PASSAGE: VPAs will improve access to care, reduce costs, and reduce veterinarian burnout by delegating lower-acuity tasks. EMERGING REFLECTIONS (2025): • Pipeline timing: Because the first VPAs likely won’t be practicing until 2026, the immediate workforce relief will not be seen in 2025. Veterinary practices cannot (yet) rely on VPAs to bridge the gap. • Transition of roles: Some veterinary technicians or experienced professionals may aim to transition toward VPA pathways. The details of equivalency / grandfathering rules remain uncertain, which causes planning challenges for existing team members. The question remains: will this role cause a more extensive veterinary technician shortage? • Economic models: It remains to be seen whether services by VPAs will indeed have lower billing rates (and how insurers or clients will
respond). Practices will need to re-evaluate how to integrate VPAs into their staffing cost models. • Geographic distribution: Strategic deployment will matter — rural or underserved areas may see the first benefit. However, unless VPAs are incentivized to locate in shortage zones, their distribution might mirror existing patterns (clusters around higher- demand or urban areas). • Liability & insurance: Insurance underwriters, malpractice risk, and oversight risk must be closely scrutinized. Veterinarians must mitigate risk by clear contracts, scope definitions, supervision protocols, and continuing oversight. PROFESSIONAL TENSIONS & COLLABORATION After passage, there has been robust debate and tension: • Some veterinary associations remain cautious or opposed, voicing concerns that VPAs might lead to diminished standards or potential for complications if scope is overreached. 9 • Supporters (e.g., ASPCA, “All Pets Deserve Vet Care”) view the measure as a win for pet owners and workforce expansion. 10 • The actual rulemaking process has become a key battleground: stakeholder engagement (veterinary councils, veterinary technician associations, boards of veterinary medicine) is underway as of 2025. Practices, veterinary technician associations, and state boards are submitting comments and proposals for supervision levels and delegated responsibilities. • Some concerns persist over educational quality: how robust will the master’s curricula be? How will clinical hours, surgical exposure, and emergency training compare to human PAs or nurse practitioner models? GUIDANCE FOR VETERINARY PRACTICES IN COLORADO (AND BEYOND) If you are a veterinarian or practice manager in Colorado (or another state watching this evolution as other states are getting ready for this position), here are strategic considerations in the coming months: ENGAGE EARLY IN RULEMAKING • Monitor the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine’s website for draft rules, public comment periods, and hearings. • Submit comments, voice concerns, or support over proposed supervision levels, allowed procedures, continuing education requirements, and liability protections. • Encourage your whole team, especially the veterinary technicians, to review proposals and weigh in.
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