(a) Purpose: The purpose of this section is to provide a process by which an individual may request a criminal history evaluation letter regarding the person's eligibility for a license issued by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, pursuant to §53.102 of the Texas Occupations Code.
(b) Prior to applying for licensure, an individual seeking licensure may request that agency staff review the person's criminal history to determine if the person is ineligible for licensure based solely on the person's criminal background.
(c) Requestors must submit their requests in writing on a form provided by the Board which includes:
  (1) a statement by the petitioner or applicant indicating the reason(s) and basis of potential ineligibility;
  (2) if the potential ineligibility is due to criminal conduct and/or conviction, any court documents including, but not limited to, indictments, orders of deferred adjudication, judgments, probation records and evidence of completion of probation, if applicable; and
  (3) the required fee as provided in §577.15 of this title (relating to Fee Schedule) which is not refundable.
(d) The agency may require additional documentation including fingerprint cards before issuing a criminal history evaluation letter.
(e) The agency shall provide criminal history evaluation letters that include the basis for ineligibility if grounds for ineligibility exist to all requestors no later than the 90th day after the agency receives all required documentation to allow the agency to respond to a request.
(f) If a requestor does not provide all requested documentation within one year of submitting the original request, the requestor must submit a new request along with appropriate fees.
(g) All evaluation letters shall be based on existing law at the time of the request. All requestors remain subject to the requirements for licensure at the time of application and may be determined ineligible under existing law at the time of application. If a requestor fails to provide complete and accurate information to the agency, the agency may invalidate the criminal history evaluation letter. Additional criminal history after the submission of the Petition for Criminal History Evaluation Letter to the Board may invalidate the Criminal History Evaluation Letter.
(h) An individual shall be permitted to apply for licensure, regardless of the agency's determination in a criminal history evaluation letter.

Source Note: The provisions of this §571.3 adopted to be effective May 29, 2011, 36 TexReg 3187