They aren't saying they goofed, but the insurance broker for the American Veterinary Medical Association's Professional Liability Insurance Trust (AVMA PLIT) plans to "clarify" advice that came out in 2009, stating that relief veterinarians needed workers' compensation insurance even though most are independent contractors.

Relief veterinarians are hired to work weekends, holidays and other periods when a member of a veterinary practice or animal hospital cannot be present. The statement by the PLIT's longtime broker Hub International Midwest, Ltd., that relief veterinarians should be covered by workers' compensation insurance created confusion among practitioners. Critics of the advice argued that it ran contrary to the distinction and tax status of many relief veterinarians as independent contractors, in addition to forcing the practice owners hiring them to pay increased insurance premiums.

Mike Ahlert, executive vice president of Hub International, said the clarification will be issued in the next AVMA Business Insurance Update, a quarterly advice column that goes out to PLIT policyholders. The article, slated for release in April, will feature counsel originally drafted for the San Diego County Veterinary Medical Association (SDCVMA), authored by William K. Browning, an employment lawyer at Klinedinst PC in San Diego.