Leading

CVMA Policy Manual

(As Approved – January 23, 2022 Board of Governors)

The following items have been developed by the Ways & Means Committee/President’s Council Committee (hereinafter, “Ways & Means Committee”) as segments of the Policy Manual, designed to accompany the Bylaws to provide the Association with a complete reference for policy on specific subjects.

The items below result from suggestions from the Board for areas where the Ways & Means Committee was asked to develop policy, as well as from items extracted from the Bylaws and put into the Policy Manual instead. All future Policy Manual items will be subject to Board approval, and require Board approval for change. All items in the Bylaws require membership review and comment to effect change.

Association Financial Statements

Financial statements, which include year-to-date and monthly comparisons, shall be provided monthly to all Board members, the Association Treasurer and House of Delegates Chair. A variance report, with an explanation of all line items over 20% of the budgeted amount, shall be included in each Board agenda.

Association Meetings Privacy Policy

No audio or video recordings, photographs, or images of any kind are allowed to be taken during any official business meeting of the Association, or to be printed, published or posted in any publication, public forum or on the Internet without advance written permission of the Executive Director of the Association.

Association Representation at National/Regional Meetings

The AVMA Leadership Conference shall be attended by Association’s House

Chair-Elect, President-Elect, and Executive Director. AVMA’s Annual Convention shall be attended by the Association’s President and Executive Director. Attendance at AAHA, AABP, AAEP and other specialty group meetings shall be as appropriate to meet the Association’s needs and shall be determined by the agenda of topics to be covered.

Awards Nominations

The Ways & Means or the RVT Committee, as appropriate, may nominate award winners in each category to forward to the Board of Governors for approval without going through the formal nomination process.

Ballot Initiatives

On the matter of ballot initiatives, the members of the CVMA Board of Governors and the chair of the House of Delegates shall not take a public position on any initiative that is inconsistent with the position adopted by the Association as a whole.

Board of Governors Officer Election Policy

At the March/April meeting or before, notice of eligibility for Board of Governors members to be sent out in respect to positions of President-Elect and Executive Committee Member-at-Large.
After the March/April meeting, staff will send a response form to each Board of Governors member to indicate their intent to either nominate or run for position of President-Elect or Executive Committee Member-at-Large.
This form to be returned two weeks or more before the June (election).

Board of Governors Expense Reimbursement

The Association shall pay transportation expenses for Board members to attend Board meetings, plus two nights’ room and tax. Board members shall be required to submit expense vouchers within sixty (60) days following the meeting. Expense vouchers submitted after this time shall require Board approval before payment can be made.

A Board member’s hotel room reservation will be cancelled if they do not respond to the meeting notice 24 hours prior to the meeting. If the Board member states they will attend but do not, they may be responsible for room charges.

Board members (and invitees) are responsible for reimbursing the Association for non-covered expenses incurred during board activities (social events/meals). The Board member can reimburse the Association by having the non-covered expenses deducted from the Board member’s reimbursement voucher before payment, or via such other mechanism to which the Association and the Board member agree. Notification of any deductions will be sent to individual Board members.

Board of Governors Role and Representation

Governors are encouraged to disseminate and gather information pertinent to the profession. This can be accomplished through attending constituent association meetings and/or through electronic means.

Board of Governors Voting Protocol

1. Most Urgent: The Executive Committee will be contacted for an immediate vote.

2. Immediate E-mail Vote:

When an immediate vote is needed and time allows, an e-mail vote will be sent to the entire Board of Governors.
The Subject line will read “CVMA-E-Mail Vote – Respond Immediately”.
Eleven responses will fulfill the quorum. Once 8 votes of “yes” or “no” are reached, the vote will be official.

3. Conference Call/Video Conference Vote:

A conference call or video conference will be organized when a vote is necessary before the next Board meeting but time allows for the entire Board to be notified.
An e-mail will be sent to each Board member with the subject line stated as “CVMA-Conference Call [or Video Conference] Vote – Response Needed”. A response will be needed to confirm that the Board member received the e-mail and will attend the conference call or video conference.
If a response is not received, the Board member will receive a personal call to confirm that the information was received.
The vote will be taken on the conference call or video conference.

4. Board Meeting Vote: The vote will be taken at a face-to-face Board of Governors meeting.

Chair

All committee chairs shall be referred to in the Bylaws and elsewhere as “Chair”, with no distinction as to gender.

Committee Appointments

Except as otherwise provided in the Bylaws, committee appointments will be made by the President each year.

Committees

Agriculture Committee
Allied Industry Committee
Animal Welfare Committee
AVMA Advisory Committee
CAVMRC Steering Committee
CVMA Certified Veterinary Assistant Committee
Finance Committee
Investment Committee
Leadership Development Committee
Legislative Committee
Pacific Veterinary Conference Program Committee
Registered Veterinary Technician Committee
Ways & Means/Presidents Council Committee

Committee Expense Reimbursement

The Association may reimburse up to $400.00 in transportation costs for Association members to physically attend committee and task force meetings, except for the Allied Industry Committee. Upon an adequate showing of need by an applying committee member, the Executive Director shall have the discretion to direct the Association’s reimbursement of sums in excess of $400.00 for travel-related expenses.

Continuing Education

The content of continuing education courses sponsored by the Association shall reflect the needs of the veterinary profession, build upon the standards for practice and courses as found in the curricula of accredited schools of veterinary medicine and contain information that is relevant to the practice of veterinary medicine. Courses shall be related to the scientific knowledge and/or technical skills required for the practice of veterinary medicine or be related to direct and/or indirect patient/client care. Courses that are primarily intended to promote the use of a commercial product or service shall not be deemed relevant to veterinary medicine.

Dinner Meeting Expenses

Association officers participating in dinner meetings to discuss Association business may have their expenses allocated to their respective Association accounts, e.g., President, President-Elect, At-large Member, Treasurer, House Chair, and Executive Director. These expense accounts shall be used for Association-related functions.

Distinguished Life Members Fees

Distinguished Life Members shall be exempt from the payment of registration fees for the Association’s Annual Meeting.

Dues Payment Schedule

Annual dues shall be due and payable on July 1st of the year for which they are levied. Dues shall be payable on an annual or semi-annual basis only.
Membership shall be terminated on September 30th if the annual dues remain unpaid. (Three (3) months after the July 1st due date.)
Membership shall be terminated on March 1st if the second installment of the semi-annual dues remain unpaid. (Two (2) months after the January 1st due date.)
New members shall pay only for the portion of the fiscal year after election to membership. Said portion shall be determined on a quarterly basis. A fraction of a quarter shall be counted as a full quarter.

Dues Schedule for New Graduates

All graduate and/or new licensees shall be exempt from the payment of all dues for the remainder of the year in which they graduate or pass the State Board examinations in California. In the case of graduates, they shall be assessed according to the following schedule: One-fourth of full dues beginning in July of the year following graduation; one-half of full dues in the next full dues year; three-fourths of full dues in the next full dues year; and full dues in the next full year every year thereafter.

Electronic Communication /Executive Committee

All members of the Executive Committee, the Executive Director and the Treasurer shall have some form of electronic communication to facilitate timely communication of documents.

Expense Reimbursement Policy for AVMA Representative

The Association may reimburse approved expenses for the AVMA District 10 representative to attend all regular Association board meetings. Vision Planning is not included.

Expense Reimbursement Policy for AVMA Delegate

The Association may reimburse approved expenses for the AVMA Delegate to attend all regular Association board meetings. Vision Planning is not included.

Expense Reimbursement Policy for Association Representatives

The Association may reimburse approved expenses for representatives at organizational meeting(s) and event(s) that they are asked by CVMA’s Board of Governors to attend. A report of the meeting(s)/event(s) shall be provided semi-annually to the Board of Governors.

Financial Audits/Reviews

The Association shall cause a financial audit or review to be conducted annually to be completed within two months of the end of the fiscal year. A review shall be conducted in lieu of an audit only in situations in which an audit is deemed by the Board of Governors to be infeasible. (As an example, in 2020, the Association held a review rather than an audit in order to observe safety protocols attending to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Governing Document Review

The Association’s Constitution/Bylaws and Policy Manual shall be reviewed no less often than every five (5) years to ensure that they remain relevant and current.

House of Delegates Executive Committee

An Executive Committee of the House of Delegates consisting of the House Chair, the House Chair-Elect, and three members-at-large elected by the House, shall be empowered to act in the name of the House on routine matters which require action before the next House meeting. Actions of the House Executive Committee must be ratified by the House at their next regular meeting.

House Representation of Specialty Groups

Specialty groups may request representation to the House of Delegates as has been done by RVTs and lab animal practitioners. Such requests will require approval of the Board and House of Delegates.

Non-geographic constituent associations will be limited to those groups with a veterinary professional activity.

Immediate Past President

It is recommended the immediate Past President serve as the Chair of the Ways & Means Committee.

Installation of Officers

Installation of House and Board officers shall occur at a structured installation event.
An orientation session for new Board members, officers and committee chairs shall be conducted. Information presented shall include the Bylaws, responsibilities of the office budget, reimbursement forms, and other information that will assist in the performance of their duties.

Investment Committee

The Investment Committee includes the CVMA President, President-Elect and Past-President as voting members, and the Executive Director and Treasurer as non-voting members.

Legislative Matters

All matters pertaining to legislation shall be reviewed by the Legislative Committee for their recommendations before being sent to the Board, unless considered time sensitive and the full committee cannot meet to consider the issue, in which case the Executive Committee shall consider the issue to determine what action will be taken. Executive Committee actions shall be referred to the Legislative Committee and Board at the next scheduled meeting for review of the recommended bill position.

Officers’ Expense Accounts

The expense accounts of the President, President-Elect, and At-Large Member shall be used for attending committee meetings, other VMA meetings, educational seminars, etc. Attendance at Board meetings shall be charged against Board meeting accounts as with other Board members.

Post-Meeting Social Events

Post-meeting social events or dinners are encouraged to promote discussion and interactions among meeting participants. However, the cost of these events shall be the responsibility of each individual. The Association may coordinate these events and divide the cost equally among the participants.

Reserve Fund Requirements

The reserves policy of the Association shall be that a minimum of 25%, and a goal of 50%, of the CVMA’s liquid assets be maintained in reserves. The reserves allocation will be based on the Association’s current operating budget.

Residency Membership Dues

Those serving residencies shall be exempt from payment of dues until July of the year following completion of the residency, whereupon they shall pay dues in accordance with the Dues Schedule for New Graduates, set forth above.

RVT Representation to the House of Delegates

RVT members are encouraged to hold an annual business meeting during CVMA’s Annual Meeting for the purpose of electing representatives to the House of Delegates.

RVT Representation on Association Committees

RVT members shall be eligible for appointment to all standing and special committees and such appointment shall be at the discretion of the President.

Terms of Association Representation to other groups or organizations

Representatives will serve at the pleasure of the Association’s Board of Governors.
The Association’s Board of Governors may recall a representative for any reason without notice by a majority vote.

Veterinary Student Representatives to the Board of Governors Expense Reimbursement for Board and Committee Meetings

Student representatives to the Board of Governors will have an expense reimbursement plan. This would be a specific amount allotted annually to the student representative determined annually by the Finance Committee.

Veterinary Student House of Delegates Members Expense Reimbursement

Student House of Delegates members will have an expense reimbursement plan. This would be a specific amount allotted annually to the student delegates determined annually by the Finance Committee with the amount being shared by the student delegates.

Voting Methods

In order to promote full discussion of all issues which require Board action, use of mail ballots for Board decisions shall be prohibited. Because non-verbal forms of communication can play a major role in information exchange, use of telephone conference calls and email shall be used only when the decision cannot wait until the next scheduled Board meeting, or when the use of videoconferencing platform (e.g. Zoom) would be infeasible.