Compliance and Regulations 



Compliance 



The forms you submit to APHIS as an accredited veterinarian are scrutinized by VS 

 personnel for accuracy and completeness. When errors or irregularities are found, 

 APHIS management may request help from investigators in the agency's lES unit. But 

 in many cases, the APHIS-VS Area Office first works with the accredited veterinarian 

 to resolve the issue. The role of lES is to gather all the pertinent facts regarding the 

 issue and present them to appropriate VS officials in an investigative case report. VS 

 officials retain the responsibility for determining the appropriate disposition of the 

 investigative case file. 



Many of the inquiries that accredited veterinarians receive from lES investigators 

 involve situations in which the interstate movement of livestock failed to meet State 

 or Federal requirements. lES investigators look into allegations that an accredited 

 veterinarian did not abide by the accreditation standards identified in 9 CFR 

 part 161.3. 



If you are the subject of an lES investigation, the investigator will explain the alleged 

 violation to you during the interview process. It is important that you present the facts 

 as well as your reasons for handling a situation in a particular way. In accreditation 

 cases especially, VS officials are interested in all the background information regarding 

 the alleged violation. All pertinent case information is compiled and evaluated by VS 

 officials. A decision is then made as to how to proceed with disposition of each case. 

 Dispositions can include letters of information or warning, informal conferences, 

 formal hearings, suspension or revocation of accreditation, and civil and criminal 

 penalties. APHIS strongly supports these quality-control mechanisms in the interest 

 of furthering the agency's mission of protecting American agriculture. 



The Role of lES 



lES' primary responsibility is to enforce APHIS regulations. lES investigators 

 nationwide provide assistance to VS with the following activities: 



• Interviewing and collecting information from accredited veterinarians, witnesses, 

 alleged violators, and others involved in the alleged violations; 



• Identifying applicable sections of the CFR, acts, and laws; 



• Collecting evidence associated with alleged violations; 



• Preparing investigative case files; and 



• Working with the VS program to assess appropriate penalties and sanctions. 



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