In 2014, citizens were able to initiate an Audit of the NCVMB (Report No. FCA-2014-8171-0) through repeated allegations.
Our goal is to submit enough allegations that the OSA cannot ignore us.
The webpage containing contact information to the State Auditor's Tipline is located here: https://www.auditor.nc.gov/
However, it is not recommended that you utilize the tipline.
Some have received no response at all.
Some have reported receiving what appears to be a form letter in response to using the tipline that states that their allegation falls outside the Office of the State Auditor’s legal authority because it does not involve the fraud, waste, or abuse of public funds.
The OSA has much broader authority than that under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 147-64.6B(b) & G.S. 147‑64.6
The OSA tipline most likely receives thousands of submissions. Reports falling under the broader statutory criteria governing operational, compliance, and management-control examinations rather than being characterized solely as an allegation of fraud, waste, or abuse of public funds may not be recognized due to their complex nature.
To get the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA) to look past their frontline screening and take your case seriously, you must bypass the gatekeepers.
This can be accomplished by going around the tipline to get your information into the correct hands.
Because physical mail is legally logged and tracked in state agency databases, printing your petition and mailing it via certified mail directly to The State Auditor’s Office at the Raleigh address causes a formal, non-automated routing of your file.
Send to:
Bradley Whitmire
Or Current Special Investigations Manager
North Carolina Office of the State Auditor
20601 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699
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If the State Auditor sends you a form-letter dismissal, don't simply give up.
If you initially submitted through the tipline, resend your allegations by physical mail to the above address.
Do not simply submit the same Tipline complaint again.
Rewrite your complaint using the state auditor’s own statutory language and resubmit by mail.
Don't simply say:
"Please investigate NCVMB."
Say:
"Please reconsider whether the allegations presented constitute improper governmental activity within the scope of G.S. 147-64.6 and 147-64.6B."
Identify the actual issue.
For example:
"My complaint concerns the administration of a State regulatory agency, including allegations concerning the use of State resources, investigative procedures, record handling, statutory compliance, and the agency's exercise of its regulatory responsibilities."
This forces the agency to confront the actual theory of the complaint.
If you discover new information, revise and rewrite your complaint using the state auditor’s own statutory language and resubmit by mail.
If you receive no response, send follow up requests.
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If you receive another dismissal letter, ask for a legal and supervisory review of the dismissal and the statutory characterization of the allegations.
Send to:
Wesleigh Stout,
Or Current General Counsel
North Carolina Office of the State Auditor
20601 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699
wesleigh.stout@ncauditor.gov
The purpose is not to demand that the General Counsel personally investigate your underlying allegations.
Instead, ask for review of a narrower question:
Was the complaint correctly characterized as outside OSA's statutory authority, or did the dismissal fail to address allegations that fall within the statutory definition of improper governmental activity?
That is a legitimate escalation question.
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Reach out to the General Assembly. Report your experience with the OSA.
Legislators can ask questions about:
• agency oversight;
• statutory compliance;
• appropriations;
• management;
• performance;
• transparency;
• complaint processing;
• and whether existing oversight mechanisms are working.
The current State Auditor is Dave Boliek
He is up for re-election in 2028.
CC your letter to the General Assembly about the OSA to dave.boliek@ncauditor.gov
Go public! You can google N.C. Office of the State Auditor and leave a google review.
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Contact names for the OSA came from:
https://www.auditor.nc.gov/about-us/staff-directory
https://ethicssei.nc.gov/Tools/CoveredBoards?type=5
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Your State Auditor submission should read more like an investigative referral.
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For your complaint, establish:
What the statute requires.
What the NCVMB did.
What the Board's records show.
Why the two are inconsistent.
Then ask the Auditor to determine whether that constitutes statutory noncompliance or improper governmental activity.
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Write:
“The Board's records show X.”
“The Board represented Y.”
“The statutory requirement is Z.”
“The available records appear inconsistent with that requirement.”
Then let the Auditor determine what that means.
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Emphasize documented institutional conduct, such as:
discrepancies between versions of records;
missing or unexplained records;
apparent inconsistencies between Board representations and underlying documentation;
the handling of your complaint;
whether required investigative procedures were followed;
whether statutory or regulatory requirements were followed;
whether the Board adequately documented the reasons for its decisions;
whether similar deficiencies appear to be systemic rather than isolated;
and whether the Board's administrative practices impair its ability to perform its statutory responsibilities.
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If the 2014 audit is relevant, cite the actual State Auditor report and quote/paraphrase the actual finding.
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Sample phrases
The Petitioner respectfully requests review of whether the allegations fall within the Office of the State Auditor's statutory authority.
The Petitioner requests that the Office of the State Auditor determine whether the allegations described below constitute matters within its statutory authority.
The Petitioner is concerned that the alleged deficiencies in the Board's complaint-investigation and enforcement processes may impair the Board's ability to protect the public and animals from unlawful or unsafe veterinary practices.
These allegations potentially implicate the Auditor's statutory authority concerning [specific statutory language]. The Petitioner respectfully requests that the OSA determine whether an examination is warranted.
The Petitioner is not asking the Office of the State Auditor to determine whether the veterinarian committed malpractice. The concern is whether the NCVMB's handling of the complaint—including its investigation, treatment of documentary evidence, application of statutory requirements, and explanation of its enforcement decision—was consistent with the Board's statutory responsibilities and applicable requirements.
Please consider whether the recurring allegations concerning NCVMB's complaint-investigation and regulatory systems warrant a performance, operational, compliance, or special review.
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The North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board (NCVMB) is a state agency for purposes of oversight. Its members are state appointees, it exercises delegated governmental power, and it administers a state regulatory program. As a result, it falls within the jurisdiction of the Office of the State Auditor (OSA).
The State Auditor investigates allegations of improper governmental conduct by state agencies and state officials. That authority applies when the NCVMB:
Fails to carry out its statutory enforcement duties
Uses its authority in ways that contradict the law
Administers the veterinary regulatory program in a manner that creates a risk to public health and safety
Below is how each part of the Auditor’s standard maps directly onto NCVMB conduct.
How this applies to NCVMB
The NCVMB collects licensing fees, renewal fees, and penalties for the purpose of regulating veterinary medicine and protecting the public.
If the Board:
Accepts complaints but does not meaningfully investigate them
Routinely declines enforcement regardless of evidence
Maintains an enforcement system that functions only on paper that can constitute mismanagement or waste, because public funds are being spent on an agency that is not performing its core statutory function.
This is especially relevant if:
Investigations are closed without documented analysis
Enforcement outcomes are inconsistent or unexplained
Staff time and resources are expended without producing lawful outcomes
The NCVMB administers a state regulatory program created by statute.
This provision is triggered when the Board:
Fails to enforce mandatory statutory requirements
Applies standards that do not exist in law
Ignores statutory duties related to discipline, transparency, or due process
Substitutes informal “policy” for enacted law
Importantly, non-enforcement itself can be a violation when the statute requires action. A board does not have discretion to nullify the law by refusing to apply it.
If the NCVMB’s practices contradict the General Statutes, that is not a policy disagreement — it is a program administration violation.
How this applies to NCVMB
Veterinary medicine directly affects:
Animal welfare
Zoonotic disease control
Public health
Consumer safety
If the NCVMB:
Fails to discipline veterinarians for conduct that endangers animals or the public
Ignores repeat or systemic violations
Allows unsafe practices to continue without intervention that can constitute a substantial and specific danger — particularly when non-enforcement allows known risks to persist.
This is one of the strongest grounds for Auditor involvement, because the NCVMB exists specifically to prevent harm.
The State Auditor does not only investigate stolen money.
It also investigates when a state board:
Is legally required to enforce the law but does not
Uses public money to operate a system that fails in practice
Administers a regulatory program in a way that undermines public safety
A licensing board that consistently refuses to enforce its statutes can fall squarely within the Auditor’s jurisdiction.
For an effective Auditor complaint, the issue should be framed as:
Systemic failure, not a single disagreement
Statutory noncompliance, not professional judgment
Program administration, not malpractice
Key phrases that align with Auditor authority include:
“Failure to administer a state regulatory program in accordance with statute”
“Mismanagement of licensing and enforcement resources”
“Non-enforcement creating a substantial risk to public health and safety”
“Use of informal practices that contradict enacted law”
If the NCVMB is not enforcing the law, that is not merely an internal board issue.
It can be:
Mismanagement of a state agency
A violation of statutory duties
A public safety concern
Those are exactly the kinds of issues the Office of the State Auditor is authorized to investigate.
Sources:
Statewide Oversight Report (FCA-2014-7902) and the NCVMB Specific Audit Report (FCA-2014-8171)
https://www.auditor.nc.gov/documents/reports/fiscalcontrol/fca-2014-7902-0/open
https://www.auditor.nc.gov/documents/reports/fiscalcontrol/fca-2014-8171-0/open
historical summary: http://aligus.com/AboutTheNCVMB.html
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Issuing Authority: Office of the State Auditor, Beth A. Wood, CPA.
Report Number: FCA-2014-7902.
Scope: Comprehensive review examining operational, statutory, and financial oversight across 57 North Carolina occupational licensing boards.
Ineffective State-Level Oversight: Occupational licensing boards operated without adequate monitoring or enforcement from oversight entities. Receiving statutory annual reports without oversight authority failed to provide management value.
Statutory Noncompliance: 25 of 57 reviewed boards failed to comply with statutory reporting deadlines or mandatory board member training requirements set by N.C. General Statutes.
Inadequate Operational & Financial Safeguards: Significant gaps were identified across complaint resolution processes, facility inspection efforts, and ongoing financial health monitoring.
Findings Specific to the NCVMB in Report FCA-2014-7902
Reporting Delinquency: The NCVMB failed to submit its required annual report on time to the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee (marked as received late).
Failure to Report Complaint Data: The NCVMB failed to provide required complaint resolution and registered facility data to state auditors (marked as "Information not available because the Board did not submit a report or information").
Financial Position: The NCVMB reported Total Liabilities of $459,964 against Total Assets of $1,314,342, resulting in a Liability to Asset Ratio of 35% (matching the statewide mean of 35%).
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Issuing Authority: Office of the State Auditor, Beth A. Wood, CPA.
Release Date: October 29, 2014 (Report No. FCA-2014-8171).
Audit Resources: 763 audit hours conducted at an approximate cost of $57,988.
Stated Objectives: To evaluate whether the Board maintained adequate processes ensuring effective inspection practices, licensing practices, public notification practices, and complaint investigation practices.
1. Facility Inspections: No Severity Assessment or Mandatory Re-Inspections
The Weakness: The NCVMB did not evaluate or categorize the severity of violations identified during facility inspections. Re-inspections were scheduled subjectively through informal discussions rather than defined, objective criteria.
Risks to Public & Patient Safety: Failing to re-inspect major violations left facilities operating with unverified hazards, including:
Expired Drugs: Risk of ineffective or harmful treatment.
Unsecured Controlled Substances: Risk of drug theft or misuse.
Incomplete Patient Records: Animals treated without thorough exam and treatment histories, leaving animal owners and veterinarians without sufficient information to make critical future treatment decisions.
Recommendation: Develop formal procedures to evaluate violation severity and establish mandatory re-inspection schedules for high-risk facilities.
2. Licensee Oversight: Complete Failure to Verify Continuing Education (CE)
The Weakness: The Board maintained no formal audit or verification procedures to confirm that continuing education hours reported by renewing licensees were valid.
Risks to Care Quality: Without verification, veterinarians and technicians could practice without receiving updated training on evolving diseases, care standards, or technological advancements.
Recommendation: Implement random audit and verification procedures for reported licensee CE hours.
3. Transparency: Deliberate Restriction of Public Access to Disciplinary Records
The Weakness: The NCVMB intentionally restricted public access to licensing status and disciplinary histories.
Policy Against Online Transparency: The Board deliberately elected not to post disciplinary actions on its website, asserting its opinion that brief online disclosures "would not provide a full understanding of the circumstances surrounding the disciplinary action". Citizens were forced to submit phone, mail, or email requests to obtain disciplinary records.
Recommendation: Make practitioner licensing statuses and formal disciplinary actions directly accessible on the Board's website.
It is recommended that you independently verifying the current OSA statutes, procedures, personnel, and jurisdiction.
I am not an attorney. The information provided in this webpage does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available are for general informational purposes only. Readers should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.
Listing these agencies does not guarantee that a complaint will result in an investigation or a specific outcome. Each agency operates under its own jurisdiction and set of rules.
This page provides resources for citizens to exercise their right to oversight. The inclusion of a reporting channel does not imply that the NCVMB has committed any wrongdoing in a specific case. All allegations are subject to the investigation and findings of the respective oversight bodies.
For help finding a lawyer, you may like to call the NC Attorney Bar Referral Services at 919-677-8574