§ 6704-a. Mandatory continuing education for veterinarians. 1. (a)\nEach veterinarian, licensed pursuant to this article, required to\nregister triennially with the department to practice in this state shall\ncomply with the provisions of the mandatory continuing education\nrequirements, except as set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this\nsubdivision. Veterinarians who do not satisfy the mandatory continuing\neducation requirements shall not practice until they have met such\nrequirements and have been issued a registration or conditional\nregistration certificate.\n (b) Veterinarians shall be exempt from the mandatory continuing\neducation requirement for the triennial registration period during which\nthey are first licensed. In accordance with the intent of this section,\nadjustments to the mandatory continuing education requirement may be\ngranted by the department for reasons of health, certified by a\nphysician, for extended active duty with the armed forces of the United\nStates, or for other good cause acceptable to the department which may\nprevent compliance. Veterinarians engaged on a full-time basis in the\nteaching of veterinary medicine at a veterinary education program\nregistered by the department or accredited or approved by an acceptable\naccrediting organization shall be exempt from the requirements of this\nsection.\n (c) A licensed veterinarian not engaged in professional practice shall\nbe exempt from the mandatory continuing education requirement upon the\nfiling of a statement with the department declaring such status. Any\nlicensee who returns to the practice of veterinary medicine shall notify\nthe department prior to reentering the profession and shall meet such\nmandatory continuing education requirements as shall be prescribed by\nregulation of the commissioner.\n 2. (a) During each triennial registration period an applicant for\nregistration shall complete a minimum of forty-five hours of acceptable\nformal continuing education, a maximum of twenty-two and one-half hours\nof which may be self-instructional coursework acceptable to the\ndepartment.\n (i) Self-instructional coursework may include free spaying and\nneutering and other veterinary services in conjunction with a\nmunicipality, duly incorporated not-for-profit society for the\nprevention of cruelty to animals, duly incorporated humane society, or\nduly incorporated animal protection association or persons who would\notherwise be eligible under paragraph (a) of subdivision three of\nsection one hundred seventeen-a of the agriculture and markets law,\nprovided that such services be administered at practices, facilities and\nproperties that are appropriately equipped and staffed to provide such\nservices.\n (ii) The department may offset up to three hours of the requisite\nnumber of hours of continuing education required pursuant to this\nparagraph by the number of free spaying and neutering services rendered\nby an applicant, at a rate of one-half of one hour of continuing\neducation for each hour of free spaying and neutering services, provided\nthat a veterinarian shall be required to provide follow-up service for\nany post-operative complications related to the surgery that arise\nwithin twenty-four hours of performing the surgery, and shall also be\nrequired to complete the core requirements established by the\ndepartment.\n (b) Any veterinarian whose first registration date following the\neffective date of this section occurs less than three years from such\neffective date, but on or after January first, two thousand twelve,\nshall complete continuing education hours on a prorated basis at the\nrate of one and one-quarter hours per month for the period beginning\nJanuary first, two thousand twelve up to the first registration date\nthereafter. A licensee who has not satisfied the mandatory continuing\neducation requirements shall not be issued a triennial registration\ncertificate by the department and shall not practice unle
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