Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who participate in veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs the suspension, deactivation, and reinstatement of a Veterinarian's participation. It states the participation statuses, the grounds for immediate suspension and for suspension after notice, the effect of suspension on bookings, directory display, and payouts, and the conditions and evidence required for reinstatement.
1.2 Participation status is the single record that determines whether a Veterinarian may appear in the directory, may be booked, and may receive payouts. No manual booking, client request, or other accommodation overrides participation status.
1.3 Licensure and the VCPR are governed by the law of the state where the patient is located. Suspension under this document is the Company's participation measure; it neither suspends nor restores a state license, and reinstatement under this document authorizes no practice that the law of the patient's state forbids.
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 Deactivation: the end of the participation relationship, stated by a participation status of inactive.
2.3 Participation Status: the status recorded for a Veterinarian, stated as pending, active, suspended, or inactive.
2.4 Reinstatement: the Company's act of restoring a suspended Veterinarian to active status under Article 6.
2.5 Suspension: an involuntary pause of participation, stated by a participation status of suspended, whether remediable or not.
2.6 Veterinarian: a licensed veterinarian the Company has accepted to participate in veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 3: Participation Status
3.1 Each Veterinarian carries one Participation Status: pending (in onboarding), active (credentialed and bookable), suspended, or inactive (departed or permanently ineligible).
3.2 Each change of Participation Status is recorded as an event stating the person who made the change, the date, and the reason. A status change without a recorded reason is a defect in the Company's records and is corrected as such.
Article 4: Immediate Suspension
4.1 The Company shall suspend a Veterinarian immediately, without prior notice, on any of the following grounds (a) a license in any state of practice is suspended, revoked, or expires without renewal, as recorded on the License Record;
(b) professional liability coverage lapses beyond the evidence period stated in the Credentialing and Background Standards;
(c) a finding under the Clinical Incident Reporting (Clinical Incident Reporting Policy) document of a serious, continuing risk to patients, where leaving the Veterinarian bookable during investigation would itself create a risk; or
(d) practice through the Platform during a period of ineligibility under the Veterinarian Eligibility and Participation document, discovered after the fact. In that case the Suspension is recorded as effective from the date ineligibility began, and each Consultation conducted in that period is reviewed.
4.2 Immediate Suspension takes effect on the ground arising and does not await a meeting or a hearing. A Company reviewer shall confirm each immediate Suspension within one (1) business day, to establish that the ground is real. Participation remains suspended during that confirmation review; an erroneous ground, once established, results in prompt Reinstatement and correction of the record.
Article 5: Suspension After Notice, and the Effect of Suspension
5.1 Conduct violations under the Vet Conduct and Enforcement (Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy) document, repeated documentation failures under the Clinical Documentation (SOAP) Standards (Clinical Documentation Policy), fraud or misrepresentation, and material breach of the veterinarian terms are grounds for Suspension after written notice stating the specific allegations and the evidence relied on, with an opportunity to respond in writing within five (5) business days. Where the alleged conduct presents an imminent risk to a patient, including practice while impaired or falsification of controlled-substance records, Suspension is immediate under Article 4 principles and the notice follows within twenty-four (24) hours.
5.2 On Suspension, each of the following takes effect (a) the Veterinarian's profile is removed from public directory display;
(b) no new booking is accepted for the Veterinarian;
(c) each booked Consultation that has not occurred is cancelled, with notice to the client and a refund and rebooking path governed by the Consult Payment Disputes and Adjustments (Consult Payment Disputes Policy) document. The notice to the client states that the Veterinarian is temporarily unavailable and does not state the reason for the Suspension;
(d) future posted availability is released;
(e) a Consultation in progress at the moment of Suspension may be completed where the Company determines that completion is clinically appropriate, after which the Suspension takes full effect and the Consultation is documented; and
(f) payouts for Consultations completed and documented before Suspension remain payable. Suspension stops future practice; it does not forfeit fees already earned. The Company may hold a disbursement connected to an open investigation, as provided in Article 8.
5.3 Suspension may be limited to the affected state. Where a ground concerns one state's license only, the Veterinarian's verified participation in other states continues, as illustrated by the partial-verification rule in the License Verification document.
Article 6: Reinstatement
6.1 Reinstatement is not automatic and does not occur by the passage of time. Reinstatement requires each of the following (a) the ground for Suspension is fully remedied, including a license restored and re-verified, coverage restored with the certificate in the Company's possession, or an investigation closed with its findings addressed;
(b) a fresh credentialing review of each matter that lapsed, under the Credentialing and Background Standards; and
(c) written approval of Reinstatement by the Company.
6.2 A Veterinarian suspended for practice without a license, falsification of records, or criminal conduct is not eligible for Reinstatement.
6.3 A reinstated Veterinarian returns subject to a watch period of ninety (90) days, during which documentation is reviewed for each Consultation and a repetition of the conduct that caused the Suspension results in Deactivation.
Article 7: Deactivation and Departure
7.1 Deactivation applies on: voluntary departure; twelve (12) months without scheduled availability or a Consultation; or permanent ineligibility, including a revoked license with no path to restoration or a failed re-credentialing with no cure.
7.2 Records of a deactivated Veterinarian, including Consultation records, note references, payment records, and the credentialing file, are retained for the retention period stated in the Telemedicine Data Handling (Telemedicine Data Handling Policy) document. The end of the relationship does not end the retention period.
7.3 A suspended or deactivated Veterinarian shall not create a new record to evade that status. Applications are matched by license number against the full participation history, including deactivated records, under the Veterinarian Eligibility and Participation document. An evasion attempt is a permanent bar to participation.
7.4 Voluntary departure is complete only when each of the following is satisfied: tail or extended-reporting insurance coverage is confirmed under the Credentialing and Background Standards; each clinical note is finalized under the Clinical Documentation (SOAP) Standards (Clinical Documentation Policy); the final payout is settled under the Vet Consult Fees and Payouts (Vet Fees and Payouts Policy); the directory profile is removed; and posted availability is released.
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. Suspension and Reinstatement are participation measures only; neither measure is a Company determination of clinical competence, and neither transfers the Veterinarian's professional responsibility to the Company.
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, and except as Article 4 provides for immediate Suspension, where notice follows the measure.
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, a license lapse, 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 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 is accepted into 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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