EIA & CVI Documentation: Field Reality vs. Regulatory Standards

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About This Webinar:

Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) and Coggins tests are routine in equine practice—but they’re also one of the most consistent sources of regulatory risk. Even small documentation errors, like an incorrect animal description, a misapplied signing protocol, or a missed state-specific requirement, can lead to rejected certificates, compliance issues, or put USDA accreditation at risk.

In this on-demand CE webinar, EIA & CVI Documentation: Field Reality vs. Regulatory Standards, you’ll get a practical, real-world look at where documentation tends to break down—and how to get ahead of it.

Dr. Martin Zaluski, former Montana State Veterinarian and GlobalVetLink’s Head of Regulatory Affairs, brings the regulatory perspective, explaining what USDA and state requirements actually demand and where practitioners most often run into trouble. He’s joined by Dr. Monty McInturff of Tennessee Equine Hospital, who shares firsthand insights from the field, including the workflow habits and shortcuts that can quietly create risk in a busy practice.

Together, they walk through the most common CVI and Coggins documentation pitfalls—like animal identification errors, signing mistakes, and overlooked state regulations—and offer practical adjustments you can implement right away to improve accuracy and protect your accreditation.

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This program has been approved for one hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

To earn continuing education credit, complete this post-test after viewing the webinar. CE certificates will be sent within two weeks.


Agent & Owner Workflow Improvements

GlobalVetLink’s Agent & Owner Workflow Improvements make equine certificate management more efficient by supporting real-world ownership and care structures. Clinics can assign multiple owners or agents and generate CVIs in bulk, while MyVetLink users benefit from a simplified, unified account experience. Learn more on our blog

HorseSync

The HorseSync app simplifies horse profile creation by allowing veterinarians and staff to capture photos, record details, and instantly sync the information to GlobalVetLink. It improves accuracy, saves time, and makes documentation easier, whether you’re in the clinic or out in the field. Learn more on our blog

CVI Templates

GlobalVetLink’s CVI Templates let veterinarians create certificates faster by saving and reusing common movement details. This reduces repetitive data entry, improves accuracy, and streamlines workflows for frequent travelers. Learn more on our blog

GVL Intake Form

GlobalVetLink’s Client Intake Form streamlines data collection by allowing animal owners to submit information before appointments, automatically populating records. This reduces manual entry, improves accuracy, and speeds up certificate creation for clinics. Learn more on our blog


Questions & Answers

The USDA requirement is in 9 CFR 86.4(a)(2) and requires:

  • A) a description sufficiently detailed to positively identify the horse
  • B) electronic identification
  • C) digital photographs. According to https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/pdfs/OfficialEquineID.pdf, California ID requirements are consistent with federal regulations. In the linked PDF on the California site, the photo of the front of the head obscures as most of the rest of the body.

This is a judgment call, but I would suggest that if the veterinarian recalls that if the horse photos are an accurate representation of the animal, then those are acceptable. Note that the veterinarian is ultimately responsible that the federally regulated form is submitted with the correct/accurate information.

The federal VS 10-11 EIA form requires “REQUIRED: NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF PERMANENT WHITE MARKINGS, BRANDS, TATTOOS, SCARS, AND WHORLS. (If none: line through box fully or write “none”)”.  GVL’s federally approved form includes a “Other markings” box for the same information.

USDA requires that the veterinarian submit an accurate form and provide aging guidelines in the National Veterinary Accreditation Guidelines here. It is expected that course aging is less accurate with age.

Reading the chip is recommended but not required. However, if the wrong microchip ID is provided by the owner and is added to the form, the veterinarian is not meeting their obligations to submit an accurate and error-free form. It is strongly advised that, if a microchip ID is included in the EIA submission, the veterinarian verify its accuracy. 

Ensure that the photograph of the side of the horse captures the entire freeze brand, list the legible numbers on the EIA form, and the veterinarian scans for the microchip. The USDA requirement is in 9 CFR 86.4(a)(2) and requires one of the following:

  • A) a description sufficiently detailed to positively identify the horse
  • B) electronic identification
  • C) digital photographs

Generally, indicating markings for heel, coronet, pastoring, sock, etc. are adequate. If the markings are uniquely asymmetrical, that would help identify a horse, then those should be included in the free text box labeled “Other markings”.

This is a little bit of a gray area, as the CVI is technically from one point of origin to a single point of destination. Recognizing the practical challenges of issuing a health certificate to various destinations within the same state, it is generally accepted to add additional destinations in the remarks/comments of the health certificate. However, if the animal owner is using an EECVI (Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection), then the requirement is that a separate document is generated for each leg of travel (even if those trips are within the state of this nation).

A CVI is technically from one point of origin to a single point of destination. Recognizing the practical challenges of issuing a health certificate for various destinations within the same state, it is generally accepted to add additional destinations in the remarks/comments of the health certificate. If the multiple destinations are in different states, then a separate CVI is needed. If the animal owner is using an EECVI (Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection), then the requirement is that a separate trip document is generated for each leg of travel, whether that travel remains within the initial destination state or moves elsewhere.

As long as the veterinarian makes a best effort to educate the owner about the program requirements of the EECVI (Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection), the owner is responsible for ensuring that the horse is healthy prior to travel (the owner signs a declaration when they self-issue a trip permit). If a veterinarian has numerous horse clients who inappropriately use the EECVI program, the state animal health official may want to confirm that the veterinarian is taking sufficient time to educate the horse owner when they conduct a physical exam, and approve the EECVI for their clients’ horses.

The USDA requirement is in 9 CFR 86.4(a)(2) and requires, a) a description sufficiently detailed to positively identify the horse, or b) electronic identification, or c) digital photographs. This requirement is generally consistent among states, though some western states may also accept a ‘lifetime brand inspection’ which would fall under (a) above.

GlobalVetLink does not delete the certificate; however, it is removed from the animal owner’s MyVetLink account after one year. We suggest that the owner download the certificate before the one-year expiration, so they can have access to their certificate.

Requirements may vary state by state, so it’s always best to confirm with the boarding facility to ensure you are able to meet all of their requirements.

With GlobalVetLink, your EIA and CVI records are stored securely in your account and are accessible anytime. CVIs are also automatically submitted to the appropriate states, so paper copies are typically not needed.

If all of the horses are being transported by the same individual, you can add that individual as an Agent to all of the horses and then select that Agent when writing the CVI in GlobalVetLink. This will allow you to create all the CVIs needed for the selected horses at once, instead of individually.

You should choose the reason that accurately describes why the horse is being tested. If it is a standard annual examination and testing, choose Annual as the option.

Yes, you can choose ‘Paint’ in the color box.

You will need to create an updated Coggins with the new blood draw date. With GlobalVetLink, you aren’t charged until the Coggins is resulted by the lab, so you can delete the previous Coggins and issue a new one.

A certificate must be signed within 10 days of inspecting the animals. So if you inspected the animals on May 1, the certificate would need to be signed by May 10th. That certificate would be good until May 30th, 30 days after the inspection of the animals.

At this time, HorseSync is only set up for Equine.