Evidence status: CURRENT AUTHORITY AND RULEMAKING RECORD. This page identifies the public body responsible for the physician pain-management-agreement rule and New Jersey’s formal process for petitioning for amendment or repeal.
Controlling Board
The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners promulgates the physician rules in N.J.A.C. 13:35, including the chronic-pain prescribing requirements in N.J.A.C. 13:35-7.6. The Board’s own orientation materials state that licensees and members of the public may petition the Board for rulemaking.
Current leadership
The Board’s current member roster identifies S. Chetan Shah, MD as President, L. Kathleen Gater, CNM, MS as Vice-President, Theresa J. Kubiel, DNP, MSN, NE, BC as Secretary, and R. Hetal Patel, DO as Treasurer. The Board’s current contact page identifies Antonia Winstead as Executive Director.
Formal petition route
New Jersey’s Administrative Procedure Act, N.J.S.A. 52:14B-4(f), allows an interested person to petition an agency to adopt a new rule or amend or repeal an existing rule.
Within the Division of Consumer Affairs, N.J.A.C. 13:45A-19.1 governs rulemaking petitions. The petition should clearly state the requested rulemaking, the reasons for the request and the petitioner’s interest, and the agency authority for the requested action. Proposed replacement text may be supplied.
Required agency action
Within 15 days of receiving a conforming petition, the Division files notice of receipt with the Office of Administrative Law for publication in the New Jersey Register. Within 60 days, the responsible board or agency must take one of three actions:
- Deny the petition and provide written reasons.
- Grant the petition and initiate rulemaking within 90 days.
- Refer the petition for further deliberations, generally to be concluded within 90 days, followed by a grant or denial.
What a clean Contract-for-Care petition record should preserve
- The exact current text of N.J.A.C. 13:35-7.6 proposed for amendment or repeal.
- The statutory framework, including the definition and purposes of a pain management agreement.
- The state-issued model patient agreement and Board FAQ.
- Institutional and practice evidence showing how agreements are implemented.
- The petition and proposed replacement language.
- The notice of receipt in the New Jersey Register.
- The Board’s action, reasons, and any later proposal, public comments, adoption, or rejection.
Current officials
| Office | Current official |
|---|---|
| State Board of Medical Examiners President | S. Chetan Shah, MD |
| Executive Director | Antonia Winstead |
Primary sources
- State Board of Medical Examiners — Current Members
- State Board of Medical Examiners — Executive Director and contact
- Board orientation — public rulemaking petitions
- N.J.A.C. 13:45A-19.1 — Petition for promulgating, amending or repealing rules
- N.J.S.A. 52:14B-4 — Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking petitions
- Division of Consumer Affairs — Notices of Petitions for Rulemaking
Reviewed: October 4, 2026.
Evidence boundary: This page maps institutional authority and procedure. Individual officers do not unilaterally amend the rule outside New Jersey’s formal rulemaking process.