AVMA reinstates travel stipends for House of Delegates

Schaumburg, Ill.

-- The AVMA Executive Board is dipping into its reserves to fund travel expenses for next year’s House of Delegates sessions.

A decision to reduce the reimbursement of travel expenses for American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) delegates was rebuffed by members in July when they introduced a resolution on the house floor to reinstate the funding.

The resolution passed by a wide margin, 92.1 to 7.9 percent, but AVMA officials were left to decide where they would get the money to cover the $175,000 cost associated with travel reimbursement.

The AVMA holds more than $22 million in reserves, but instead of using the reserves during these difficult economic times, the association looked for ways to reduce expenses. The decision to reduce reimbursement for travel was one of the belt-tightening measures. The reduction was proposed for just one year, but would have reduced reimbursements by nearly one-third.

Instead, travel reimbursement has been restored to the 2009 levels, which provided for airfare and up to three night’s lodging.