CDFA Veterinary Medical Officer

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CDFA Veterinary Medical Officer

• Salary Inequity
• Presented by
• Sheryl Fuller BS, DVM
• VMO III
• California Department of Food and Agriculture -
  Animal Health Branch

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Introduction

• Public Health AND Economy Of California is in
  grave danger
• WHY????
• Inability to Hire, and Retain FIRST RESPONDERS to
  a BIOTERRORISM OR FOREIGN ANIMAL DISEASE such as
  H5N1

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Definitions

• Foreign Animal Disease-FAD an economically
  devastating livestock or poultry disease that is
  monitored globally by OIE in member countries and
  affects trade with member countries
• Office of International Epizootics OIE-monitors
  FAD status globally
• Zoonotic-a disease that is passed from animals to
  man-High Path AI

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What is at Stake in CA?

• 31.8 billion Agricultural Industry
• 31 of National Dairy Products Production
• 31 of National Butter Production
• 21 of National Milk Production
• 17 of National Cheddar Cheese
• 6.5 Billion in agricultural exports
• CA ag industry income exceeds the combined ag
  cash income of Texas and Iowa the number 2 and 3
  ag commodity producers in the USA
• First Responder for High Path Avian Influenza
  H5N1
• First Responder for Bioterrorism event

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• VMO A/B, III and IV Animal Health Branch AHB
• Meat Poultry
  Inspection Br. MPI
• Education Requirements
• Doctorate Of Veterinary Medicine-both
• (8 years of college to obtain a DVM)
• Many of AHB VMOs have advanced degrees
• 1) MPVM-Masters in Public Veterinary
  Medicine
• (one more year of college)
• 2) PhD-4 more years of College
• 3) ACVPM-Board Certified in the American
  College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine
  (test)
• Valid California Veterinary Medicine License-AHB

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What do VMO,s do?Protect human health, Food
Safety and Security and Protect the Economy

• Quarantine Authority-stop livestock movement and
  unsafe food product movement
• Assure the exclusion of unwholesome meat and
  poultry food products from human food channels
• First Responder in FAD outbreak (H5N1)

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• Disease Surveillance of Zoonotic diseases (Humans
  can get from animals
• Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, BSE(Mad Cow),
  Avian Influenza, Exotic Newcastle
• Investigate Disease Outbreaks in livestock and
  poultry (FADD clinicians)
• Epidemiology
• Inspection of meat, facilities, processes of
  slaughter and food products derived from meat and
  milk
• Eradication of disease or plan control
• Outreach for disease prevention
• Legislative and policy creator and advisory
• Technical Expert to Industry-biosecurity
• Protect Public Health First Responder of
  Bioterrorism or FAD-H5N1

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Brucellosis Testing and Investigations
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Tuberculosis Testing
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Depopulation and Necropsy
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Epidemiology
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Foreign Animal Disease Diagnosticians FADD USDA
Certified

• Investigate Potential Foreign Animal Disease
  Outbreaks
• Experts in Disease surveillance, chain of custody
  of samples, disease diagnosis and biosecurity-so
  the disease will not be spread further

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Foreign Animal Disease Investigations
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Exotic Newcastle Disease Outbreak

• Foreign Animal Disease Control
• Over 3 million birds destroyed
• Cost to taxpayers of 176 million dollars
• Zoonotic potentialconjunctivitis

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Exotic New Castle Disease

• Euthanasia

• Diagnostics

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Outreach and Education
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Legislation
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What do Meat and Poultry Inspector VMOs do ?

• Meat for wholesomeness
• Anti mortem inspection for diseases and parasites
• Slaughtering Procedures
• Processing facilities
• Processing equipment
• Sanitation
• Train Licensed Meat Inspectors

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Casualties AHB in past 3 years

• Salary
• 9 vets
• Retirement
• 4 vets
• Other
• 5 vets
• Total
• 18 VMOs

• Salary
• 84 years
• Retirement
• 93 years
• Other
• 2 years
• Total
• 179 years of experience

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Lost education

• Of the 18 veterinarians that have been lost in
  the last 3 years
• CDFA paid for 4 MPVM Degrees
• CDFA paid for one PHd Degree
• At what cost to the State of California?
• Wouldnt the People of California be better
  served to try to retain this investment?????
• CDFA would LOVE to retain their investment
  CDFA is unable to retain and hire VMOs due to
  lack of a competitive salary, overtime,
  geographic differential pay, and educational
  bonuses

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Cost to Hire VMO

• Advertise
• Test
• Interview
• Hire
• Train
• 10 VMOs per year x 6,180 61,000.00 that are ½
  as productive

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• National Shortage of Veterinarians
• Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005
• Retention Problems at CDFA for VMO
• Hiring Problems at CDFA for VMO
• Both due to non-competitive salary and lack
  of overtime compensation-compounded by shortage
  of veterinarians nationally
• Graduating Veterinarians have an average of
  80,000 worth of debt upon graduation

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Casualties of VMOs in last 3 years

• Salary 9 vets- 84 years experience
• Retirement 4 vets-93 years experience
• Other reasons 5 vets- 2 years experience
• Total 18 vets lost with 179 years of experience
  working as a VMO with CDFA Animal Health Branch
• Estimated cost to recruit, test, interview, and
  hire a VMO who is ½ as productive as experienced
  VMOs is estimated at 6, 180 x 10 vets/ year
  61,000- not to mention the time those involved
  in the process could be doing other projects
• Why not invest this money into current staff and
  keep what we have and be competitive with Federal
  VMOs

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Stories of Non-Recruitment

• Dr. Thompson Branch Chief talked to a retiring
  Army vet that wants to stay in the Sacramento
  area-will not consider because of salary
•  
• Dr. Mendez tried to recruit a colleague who
  speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese and his
  reply was he made so much more in small animal
  practice
•  

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Federal and State VMO Salary Comparisons

• Federal GS-13
• 25 Higher
• Top-out salary
• 15 Higher
• Starting Salary
• Federal GS-12
• 21 Higher
• Top-out salary
• 12 Higher
• Starting Salary
• Overtime Compensation

• State VMOIV
• State VMO III
• NO Overtime Compensation

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Proposed Solution

• 25 Salary Increase to properly compete and plan
  succession, this will bring us up to our Federal
  Counterparts
• Overtime Compensation as our Federal Counterparts
• Educational Incentive
• Geographic Pay Differential as our Federal
  Counterparts
• Outreach to Veterinary Colleges about the
  benefits (must have a salary increase) of Public
  Health Practice-competing for Vets Nationally

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•  
• 1-2 normal personnel retirement average
• 4 retirement-CDFA
• 30 vets divided by 4 vets 13 divided by 3 4
• AHB has 30 VMO series vets
•  
• 5-6 normal personnel turnover average
• 2 normal turnover-CDFA
• 30 vets divided by 5 vets 6 divided by 3 2
• 10 salary reasons-CDFA
• 30 vets divided by 9 vets 30 divided by 3 years
  10 per year
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• 7-9 per year total normal personnel average
• 4 21016 CDFA total
• Almost 2 x the normal turnover
• This is expensive to the People of California
•  

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California's Food Safety and Public Health is at
Risk-VMOs are the First Responders to FAD-High
Path AI H5N1 and Bioterrorism events

• We must be COMPETITIVE to Hire and Retain
  Veterinary Medical Officers
• Competitive salary to draw from the already small
  pool of available veterinarians-25 increase will
  bring VMOs up to their Federal counterparts
• Overtime Compensation as our Federal Counterparts
• Educational Incentive
• Geographic Pay Differential
• Longevity Bonus

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If No Action taken

• Decrease inspections of Food Supply
• Decreased ability to respond to a FAD
• CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES!!!!!
• Public Health Risk High Path AI H5N1
• Economic devastation FMD-its estimated that it
  will cost the economy 3 million dollars per hour
  it goes undetected