If you practice telemedicine, teletriage, or teleadvice in Georgia, the State Board just added a step to your to-do list. Here’s the plain-language version.
As of June 26, 2026
The Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine recently introduced a new requirement for any licensed veterinarian, faculty member, or specialist who intends to use telemedicine in their practice.
Before offering telemedicine, teletriage, or teleadvice, you’ll now need to submit an Affidavit of Intent through the GOALS portal.
Quick disclaimer: GVMA does not make the rules, nor we do enforce them. We do make sure that regulatory updates make it to you, with clear, actionable information to stay compliant.
So here’s the breakdown.
Why the Affidavit Is Required
The new requirement is designed to keep telemedicine, teletriage, and teleadvice safely recognized and protected under an established Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR). In short, the State Board wants a documented acknowledgment that licensees understand the standards before they begin offering virtual care.
If you don’t intend to practice telemedicine in Georgia, this requirement doesn’t apply to you. If you do — even occasionally — you’ll need to file the affidavit before your next virtual consult.
Who Needs to File
The requirement applies to:
- Georgia-licensed veterinarians offering telemedicine, teletriage, or teleadvice
- Faculty members practicing telemedicine within Georgia
- Specialists providing virtual consultations to Georgia clients
If telemedicine is part of your practice in any form, plan to file.
What the Submission Process Looks Like
The affidavit is submitted through the State Board’s GOALS portal. Here’s what to expect:
- The State Board requires a $10.00 processing fee at submission.
- Your affidavit must be notarized before you upload it — online notary services like Notarize, OneNotary, or BlueNotary are perfectly acceptable, and usually the fastest path.
- You’ll also need to upload a signed Informed Consent document that you’ll use with telemedicine clients. The Board requires this as part of the application, so have it ready before you log in.
Total time investment, if you’re prepared: roughly 20–30 minutes.
How GVMA Is Helping
We’ve put together a free Telemedicine Affidavit Toolkit for members that walks through the entire process. Inside you’ll find a pre-submission checklist, a step-by-step walkthrough of the GOALS portal, and a copy-and-paste Informed Consent Template you can customize and upload the same day.
The Bottom Line
Regulatory updates rarely make for thrilling reading, but this one matters. Filing your Affidavit of Intent protects your license, keeps your telemedicine practice on solid ground, and ensures your VCPR holds up if questions ever arise. The process isn’t complicated once you know what to expect, and we’ve already built the map for you.
Members have been emailed their toolkit. If you have not received yours, email us.
Not a GVMA member yet? This is exactly the kind of update — and the kind of toolkit — that membership delivers. Join GVMA today!
