California Board of Pharmacy Updates on SCRA, AB 1503, and Nonresident Pharmacies

Board of Pharmacy News Roundup – February 2026 Welcome to the monthly News Roundup from the Calif ornia State Board of Pharmacy. To receive more details on an y of the information reported here, click on the Board’s website, ww w.phar macy.ca.go v. Upcoming Meetings: ALL meetings are open to the public; all are encouraged to attend. Please check https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/ for meeting dates and times. Friendly Reminders: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) authorizes servicemembers or their spouses who hold a valid license i n good standing in another state to practice in California within the same profession or vocation, if they are required to relocate to California because of military or ders. California recognizes these qualifying out - of - state licenses as valid. Business and Professions C ode section 115.10 establishes a state registration process to help identify in dividuals lawfully practicing in California under the SCRA. As a reminder, pharmacists may fill presc riptions written by prescribers not licensed in California but licensed in anot her state and practicing in Calif ornia under the SCRA. To verify if a prescriber is registered to practice in C alifornia, you can check the Professional License Portability and State Registration List for Servicemembers and Their Spouses. For more information, including links to th e Department of Consumer Affair s’ dedicated site on federal license portability and state reg istration, visit the Department’s Resources for Members of the United States Armed Forces webpage. Recently Signed Legislation Impacting the Practice of Pharmacy To provide easy accessibility to the new la ws for 2026, a consolidated resource guide has been posted to the website. https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/laws_regs/recent_legislation.pdf

Transition to Standard of Care Under t he prov isions of Assembly Bill (AB) 1503 (Berman, Chapter 196, Statutes of 2025), certain pharmacist - provided patient care services transitioned to a S tanda rd of C are p r actice model effective January 1, 2026. The policy statement can be found here. Pharmacist-in-Charge U nder AB 1503, new provisions reinforce the decision - making autonomy of the PIC related to staffing decisions. Read the f ull policy statement here. Vaccines Under AB 1503, pharmacist authority to independently initiate and administer vaccines for persons three years of age a nd older will transition to a s tandard of care practice model. Such an approach is c onsistent with other health care practitioners with similar practice authority. New Requirements for Nonresident Pharmacies Effective July 1, 2026, nonresident pharmacies (i.e., pharmacies located outside California that ship, mail, deliver, or otherwise dispense prescription medications or devices into California) must: Identify a California - licensed pharmacist employed and working at the nonresident phar macy to be proposed to serve as Pharmac ist -in- Charge (PIC) ov er the nonresident pha rmacy’s California operations, and submit the p roposed PIC’s n ame, license number, and effective date to the Board within 90 days of desig nation. • Ensure the designated PIC is fully authoriz ed to ensure operational compliance with California law, including Ca lifornia - specific dispensing, recordkeeping, labeling, consultation, controlled substances, and staffing requirements. • Confirm the PIC has completed the required Board - provided PIC training. • Update the Board within 90 days of any s ubsequent PIC change. For forms and additional compliance information, please visit the Calif ornia State Bo ard of Ph armacy’s website. Take Action Now to ensure your nonresident pharma cy is in full compliance by July 1, 2026. California Medication Error Reporting (CAMER) Register with ISMP to report medication er rors to the California Medication Error

Reporting (CAMER) system. Medication errors that occur on or after September 1, 2025, must be reported to the CAMER system. For information on how to register with ISMP’s medication error reporting program, click here https://mederrors.ismp.org/. For technical issues please email clientservices@ecri.org. FAQs regarding medication error reporting can be found here. ###