VS Form 1-36A is the USDA application veterinarians use to obtain, renew, modify, or reinstate federal accreditation through the National Veterinary Accreditation Program run by APHIS. One form covers six different transactions, and which box you check at the top decides how the rest of the form is read. You download the PDF from the APHIS website, complete it, and send it to the Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC) for the state where you want to be accredited.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. VS Form 1-36A National Veterinary Accreditation Program
Pick the Right Purpose Box First
The top of the form has six checkboxes. Check exactly one:
- Block 1, initial accreditation. Enter the two-letter state abbreviation and your complete veterinary license number for that state.
- Block 2, additional state authorization. You already hold accreditation and want to perform accredited duties in another state.
- Block 3, category change. You want to switch between Category I and Category II.
- Block 4, contact information change. Your name, address, or other contact details have changed.
- Block 5, renewal or reinstatement. Your accreditation is approaching expiration or has already lapsed. You cannot apply for renewal more than six months before your renewal date.
- Block 6, post-revocation re-accreditation. Your accreditation was previously revoked and you are reapplying.
Most veterinarians use this form at least twice: once to get accredited, then again each renewal cycle. If you practice across state lines, you file it again every time you add a state.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. VS Form 1-36A National Veterinary Accreditation Program
Choose Category I or Category II
Category choice controls which animals your accreditation covers, so choose based on the work you actually do.
Category I (Block 18) limits your accredited duties to companion and specialty animals: dogs, cats, reptiles and amphibians, furbearing animals, laboratory animals such as rodents, and non-human primates. Category II (Block 19) authorizes accredited duties on all animal species, including livestock and poultry. If you work with cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses, or commercial poultry in any capacity involving interstate health certificates or federal disease programs, you need Category II.
If you start with Category I and later begin working with food animals or horses, file a new VS Form 1-36A checking Block 3 to move up. The certification statement above the signature line references 9 CFR Part 161, which defines what each category authorizes.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. VS Form 1-36A National Veterinary Accreditation Program
Filling In the Blocks
Entries must match your official records exactly. Discrepancies between the form and your state licensing records can delay processing.
Block 7 takes your legal last name, first name, and middle initial. If you are reporting a name change, enter the new legal name here and put your previous name in Block 9. Block 8 is your six-digit National Accreditation Number; leave it blank on an initial application, since you have not been assigned one yet. Block 10 is your date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format. Blocks 11 and 12 record your veterinary school and four-digit graduation year. Blocks 13 through 15 cover where and when you completed core orientation and initial accreditation training.
Two optional items sit in the middle of the form. Block 16 asks whether you want to be contacted about state or federal agricultural emergency response. Checking “yes” adds you to a contact list for disease outbreaks and other emergencies but does not obligate you to respond. Block 17 is a checkbox for full-time U.S. Military Veterinarians only; reservists and National Guard personnel should not check it.
Blocks 30 through 32 are where you list the training modules you have completed. APHIS requires core orientation training plus supplemental modules that vary by category. For a renewal, you need to show you completed the required continuing education modules during the accreditation period.
Block 33 is your signature. Read the certification statement above the line before signing. You are certifying that you can perform the duties listed in 9 CFR Part 161.1(g) for your chosen category, that you will follow the standards for accredited veterinarian duties, and that you understand your responsibility to notify APHIS if any of your veterinary licenses lapse or your contact information changes. Blue or black ink, a digital signature, or a digitally drawn signature are all acceptable.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. VS Form 1-36A National Veterinary Accreditation Program
Where to Send It
Submit the completed form to the APHIS Area Veterinarian in Charge for the state where you want to be accredited. The APHIS animal health contacts page has a state dropdown that gives you the correct office address and phone number.2Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animal Health Contacts If you are adding a second state under Block 2, send it to the AVIC in the new state, not the one where you already hold accreditation. The same AVIC office is the right contact for questions about training modules, required documentation, or the status of a pending application.
Renewal Window and Lapses
Federal veterinary accreditation is not permanent. It must be renewed periodically, and the form’s instructions bar you from applying more than six months before your renewal date. File too early and the application will be returned.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. VS Form 1-36A National Veterinary Accreditation Program
If your accreditation has already expired, you still use VS Form 1-36A, but you check Block 5 for reinstatement. While lapsed, you cannot legally perform accredited duties, which includes issuing interstate health certificates, participating in federal disease eradication programs, and signing official test charts. Set a reminder inside the six-month window so you have time to finish any required training modules before submitting.
Revocation is a different track from expiration. Block 6 covers post-revocation re-accreditation, and APHIS may require additional documentation or review before restoring your credentials. Contact your state’s AVIC before submitting a post-revocation application to find out what will be expected.