There is a distinct difference between "Residency Trained", "Board Eligible" and "Board Certified".  Only persons who have achieved the latter are recognized as "Specialists" by the AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties.  Virginia law should mirror the definition of the term to match verbage stated by the AVMA: "A veterinary specialist is a veterinarian who has completed additional training in a specific area of veterinary medicine and has passed an examination that evaluates their knowledge and skills in that specialty area:"

This distinction is certainly developed for protection of the public.  Owners ultimately decide the level of expertise/experince they expect from their practitioner.  It is in their best interest to avoid being mislead by nebulous terminology.  

I am in favor of recognizing the increasing number of Specialist LVTs by providing a definition in the State Regulations

Respectfully,