Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who apply to participate in, or who are being activated for, veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs the onboarding of a Veterinarian, from application to activation. It states the stages of the process, the conditions that shall be satisfied at the same time before activation, and the consequences of an incomplete, closed, or rejected application.
1.2 Every Veterinarian enters through the same application. The application collects practice name, contact name, email address, telephone number, address, the areas served, license number, and licensing state, and records the participation path the applicant selects: referral participation or telemedicine participation, as described in the Veterinarian Eligibility and Participation document.
1.3 Licensure and the VCPR are governed by the law of the state where the patient is located. Activation under this document authorizes no practice that the law of that state forbids, and telemedicine participation is activated only for services that the law of the patient's state permits.
1.4 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document conflicts with the terms of a program in which the Veterinarian participates, the program terms control for that program. Policies and help pages explain this document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Terms of Use are incorporated into this document by reference and apply to this document. This article defines only the additional terms used in this document, in alphabetical order.
2.2 Activation: the Company's act of moving a Veterinarian's participation status to active, after which the Veterinarian may be displayed and booked as provided in this document.
2.3 Application: the application for participation submitted through the Platform, together with the evidence submitted with it.
2.4 Orientation: the telemedicine orientation a Veterinarian completes under Article 5 before holding scheduled availability.
2.5 Veterinarian: a licensed veterinarian the Company has accepted to participate in veterinary services through the Platform, and, for Articles 3 through 7, a person who has applied for that participation.
Article 3: The Onboarding Stages
3.1 Onboarding proceeds in fixed, sequential stages. No stage may be skipped, no two stages may be combined to shorten the process, and no person may waive a stage for an applicant. The stages are (a) Application. Identity, contact particulars, education history, licenses claimed, specialties, insurance evidence, references, and Form W-9.
(b) License verification, under the License Verification document, for each license claimed, confirmed against the issuing board's records.
(c) Credentialing, under the Credentialing and Background Standards document, covering background, insurance, references, and education, ending in a credentialing status of verified.
(d) Payout onboarding. The Veterinarian completes payout onboarding with the Company's payment processor, and the Company records completion. No payout is made before this stage is complete, and the Company makes payouts to a Veterinarian by no other means.
(e) Activation. Participation status moves from pending to active. The Practitioner Record retains a reference to the Application that created it, so that each activated Veterinarian can be traced to the file on which credentialing was decided.
3.2 Where the application process cannot receive an Application, the Company shall not represent that the Application was received. An Application that has not been recorded has not been submitted.
Article 4: Activation Conditions
4.1 Activation requires each of the following to be satisfied at the same time (a) credentialing status is verified under the Credentialing and Background Standards;
(b) at least one License Record carries verified status and an expiry date in the future;
(c) professional liability insurance is current, with a policy expiry date in the future;
(d) payout onboarding under clause 3.1(d) is complete; and
(e) the Veterinarian has accepted the Company's veterinarian terms and each policy in this veterinary series, with the acceptance recorded.
4.2 Partial activation does not exist. A Veterinarian who has completed credentialing but has not completed payout onboarding remains pending, and shall not be booked, shall not appear in the directory, and shall not hold scheduled availability.
4.3 On Activation, the Company creates the Veterinarian's directory profile, governed by the Vet Directory and Profile Standards. Creation of the profile follows Activation; a pending Veterinarian has no public profile.
Article 5: Paths and Orientation
5.1 An applicant for referral participation only completes stages (a) through (c) of clause 3.1. Payout onboarding is not required for that path, because compensation on that path is governed by the Vet Lead and Referral Compensation (Vet Lead Compensation Policy) document and is not paid per Consultation. A Veterinarian on that path does not hold scheduled availability and does not see a Platform patient.
5.2 An applicant for telemedicine participation completes each stage in clause 3.1 and the Orientation in clause 5.3.
5.3 Before holding scheduled availability for the first time, each telemedicine Veterinarian shall complete Orientation covering (a) the VCPR rules by state, including the requirements of the VCPR Establishment Rules and the State Telemedicine Matrix;
(b) the Platform's consultation technology, the consultation record, clinical note fields, and consent capture, including a test session conducted before the first live Consultation;
(c) escalation paths, including the meaning of an emergency classification, the location of the emergency referral information, and the steps that follow a technical failure during a Consultation under the Consult Conduct Standards; and
(d) the documentation standard, including the note-finalization period and the data-handling rules in the Clinical Documentation (SOAP) Standards (Clinical Documentation Policy) and the Telemedicine Data Handling (Telemedicine Data Handling Policy) documents.
5.4 Completion of Orientation is recorded in the Veterinarian's file. A Veterinarian who has not completed Orientation shall not hold scheduled availability.
5.5 A Veterinarian on the referral path who later seeks telemedicine participation does not submit a second application. The completed application, license verification, and credentialing carry forward, and the Veterinarian completes payout onboarding, Activation, and Orientation.
Article 6: Time Limits and Closed Applications
6.1 An Application that remains incomplete sixty (60) days after submission is closed. The applicant may apply again. Verification already completed carries forward where it remains current, including a license verification that remains valid and a background check completed less than six (6) months earlier.
6.2 Credentials submitted with a closed or rejected Application are retained in accordance with the Company's record retention rules, including license numbers, board lookup results, and discrepancy records. A later Application by the same person, including an Application under a different name with the same license number, is assessed with that history available.
Article 7: Rejection
7.1 Where credentialing status is set to rejected, the Company shall notify the applicant in writing, stating the specific basis, the item that failed, and, where cure is possible, the evidence that cures it.
7.2 A rejected applicant may apply again after twelve (12) months, unless the rejection was for fraud or material misrepresentation, including a fabricated license number or a concealed revocation, in which case the bar is permanent.
7.3 Rejection from one path does not necessarily bar the other. A Veterinarian rejected from telemedicine participation for a lapsed license may participate on the referral path once the license is current, because that path places the Veterinarian before no Platform patient. The credentialing decision shall state which paths are closed.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
8.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Veterinarian paid to the Company under this document in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
8.3 This article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Veterinarian owes for fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
8.4 Nothing in this article limits liability for personal injury or injury to an animal caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation.
8.5 The Company is not a veterinary practice and does not provide veterinary services. Completion of onboarding is not a Company representation of clinical competence and does not transfer the Veterinarian's professional responsibility to the Company. No provision of this document promises a clinical outcome.
8.6 The parties agree that this article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
Article 9: Indemnification
9.1 The Veterinarian shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Veterinarian's breach of this document; (b) the Veterinarian's services, consultations, listings, or User Content; (c) the Veterinarian's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Veterinarian is responsible under this document.
9.2 The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this article. The Veterinarian shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Veterinarian shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
9.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Veterinarian shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires the Veterinarian to keep.
10.2 If the Company determines that the Veterinarian has violated this document, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
10.3 Where a violation is capable of cure, the Veterinarian has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
10.4 If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order or a booking; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law.
10.5 The Company may suspend the Veterinarian immediately, without prior notice and without a cure period, where a license lapses, expires, is suspended, or is revoked, or where a risk to the safety of a person or an animal arises, as provided in the License Verification document and the Vet Suspension, Deactivation, and Reinstatement document. The Company may hold disbursements to the Veterinarian while an investigation under this article is pending, and shall release amounts not required to satisfy the Veterinarian's obligations when the investigation closes.
10.6 The Veterinarian may appeal a measure under this article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
10.7 The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 11: Term and Termination
11.1 This document takes effect when the Veterinarian applies for participation and continues until terminated under this article.
11.2 The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Veterinarian materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
11.3 The Veterinarian may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Veterinarian has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
11.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, chargeback, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
11.5 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 12: Dispute Resolution
12.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document in the Document Center and giving notice to the Veterinarian at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases the Veterinarian's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If the Veterinarian does not accept an amendment, the Veterinarian's remedy is to terminate under the Term and Termination article before the amendment takes effect.
13.2 Legal notices under this document shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. Notices to the Veterinarian are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. The Veterinarian shall keep the email address in the Account current. Notices under the DMCA and Copyright Policy are given as provided in that policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
13.3 This document is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there. The practice of veterinary medicine under this document is governed by the law of the state in which the patient is located.
13.4 If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
13.5 This document, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Veterinarian for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
13.6 The Veterinarian shall not assign this document or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Veterinarian.
13.7 A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
13.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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