To amend the definition of surgery to allow veterinary technicians to perform single layer closure of the gingival flap created by a veterinarian.

The petition will be published on November 2, 2015 in the Register of Regulations and also posted on the Virginia Regulatory Townhall at www.townhall.virginia.gov to receive public comment ending December 2, 2015.

Following receipt of all comments on the petition to amend regulations, the Board will decide whether to make any changes to the regulatory language. This matter will be on the Board’s agenda for its first meeting after the comment period, which is tentatively scheduled for February 10, 2016.

At its meeting on February 10, 2016, the Board considered the petition and all comments in favor of and in opposition to the request for an amendment.  Its conclusion was that closure of the gingival flap involves tissue and is different from a skin closure.  While the procedure can be simple in some cases, it is often complex and difficult to achieve the desired result.  The Board has affirmed its guidance on the allowable duties of a veterinary technician adopted in Guidance Document 150-2 in February of 2015, in which it stated that:  The Board determined that oral mucosa is not skin, therefore, an LVT would not be permitted to perform closure of a previously created gingival flap.