News from Veterinary Business Advisors, Inc

July 2012

Phone (908) 782-4426 - [email protected]

www.veterinarybusinessadvisors.com

Legal Aspects on the Emotional Maltreatment of Animals

It is not only widely believed that animals have emotions, but there appears to be scientific evidence to support such beliefs. If animals have emotions, it is reasonable to conclude that emotional maltreatment occurs and it is society's moral and ethical responsibility to protect animals from such abuse. There are few, if any, cases in the United States prosecuting perpetrators on the basis of emotional abuse. That is likely because it is not well recognized or documented form of abuse and difficult to define within a statute that could be effectively enforced in the courts. This lecture will explore the challenges with defining emotional abuse in animals as well as delve into the scientific support for such allegations.

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Terminating an Employee Gracefully and Legally

It can be hard to say goodbye. But sometimes an employment relationship just doesn't work out. Let's say that your employee has performance or behavior problems. He or she has failed to meet the expectations set out in your employee manual. You've met with the employee to discuss the problems and documented the discussions. You've also practiced progressive discipline, imposing increasingly severe penalties for repeated policy infractions. Despite these efforts, the employee continues to fall short of your standards. At this point, you may have no choice but to end the employment relationship.

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Hot Topic! Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is constitutional, employers should make sure their employee health plans comply with that law. Although we are in a relatively quiet period under the Affordable Care Act, there are certain requirements that employers must address now.

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Courtesy of Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, P.C.

In This Issue

Legal Aspects of Emotional Maltreatment

Terminating an Employee Gracefully and Legally

Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act

Welcome VBA Extern

Welcome VBA Extern!

It's that time again. VBA would like to welcome our newest extern Kelsey Braun. Kelsey is a 3rd year veterinary student at the University of Illinois. She is originally from Saint Marys, PA and received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. Kelsey is very passionate about music and has been playing the flute for 14 years. She enjoys running around with her dog Miko and playing volleyball and various card games. She also is an avid fan of NFL's Greenbay Packers. Kelsey is on the executive board of her chapter's Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) club at veterinary school, and her main career interest is in mixed animal medicine. She hopes to either own or buy-in to a multi-vet practice someday, so she looks forward to her VBA externship and the opportunity to discover what challenges there are to the non-medical side of veterinary medicine. She hopes to share the knowledge that she gains to her classmates and put her experiences to work for the benefit of her future clients as well.