CNA Recertification is the process of renewing your nursing assistant certification. All states require the renewal process to be done every two years. The renewal has to be done before the last day of your birth month.
Criteria for Recertification
You must have worked for a minimum of 150 hours in the duration of the last two years. This number varies across states and you must find out from your state board. This is in place to ensure that CNA’s have kept up with the changes in the field. If you’ve been out for a longer period there may be certain changes.
A document certifying that you are a US citizen or are eligible to work in the country. This is a normal verification procedure in most working boards.
A declaration of felony convictions has to be done to the state board of nursing. Failure to inform the board of any convictions will lead to immediate removal from the register.
The Application for CNA Recertification
You have to fill in your personal information in the first section. The second section has to be filled by your employer. This is easy if you are currently employed. If you’ve been out of work currently, you’ll have to find your last employer for whom you worked for more than 150+ hours during the last two years.
After you fill it out, you will have to mail it your state board. Be prepared to wait for at least two weeks for the renewal process to get completed.
What if I haven’t worked as a CNA for over two years?
This is where it gets a little tricky. States differ on how this situation is handled.
Some states will require you to undergo your CNA training again. This means that you will have to go for a hundred or more hours of nurse aide training followed by the CNA certification test. This can be expensive. This is why you have to ensure that you work the required amount even if it’s just part time every two years to make it easy for renewal.
Other states will simply ask you to do the certification test again. You’ll have to brush up on your studying and get it over with. You will have to pay the state fees for the test as well.
We have a whole section on CNA License information which you can check out should this article not give you the answers you require. Alternatively, you can even send us a question using the form below and we’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.
My certification runs out today and I called the state of De. for my renewal and they informed me I had to go on line to get a copy of my certification. I am at a loss at how to do this. Not very savey on the computer.
Ideally, they should have sent you your renewal forms 90 days prior to its expiration. It says so on http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dltcrp/cnareg.html
Why don’t you call them up again and ask them to resend you your renewal forms. It seems it is not available on the state website like most other states.
i was working in a nursing home i got in a car crash they never renew my licence this is all i have ever done i think this is a disgrace what do i do to get my cna licence back
Hi Liz,
I’m so sorry for what has happened. You might want to contact the board for your state and explain your case to them. If they don’t budge, I’m afraid you’ll have to retake the test.
i havent renewed my cna license in over 10 years but i have worked as a care provider the last 7 years. do i need to go through the cna classes again or can i just take the test. i live in solano county in california
Hi,
You’ll need to retake the training as well as the test I’m afraid.
I am 20 yrs old and have been a CNA since i was 16 in high school. I only got a certificate not any type of license. So now that im in california do i need to start all over or how do i go about this? the last time i worked as a cna was in 09. PLEASE RESPOND!!
Hi Ashley, You’ll have to retake the training as well as the test. You’re normally allowed two years after completing your training to take the exam and get the license. Since you didn’t get the license and more than two years have passed, you’ll need to start all over.
My certification expire from 1999 but i was still working in the same Hospital for almost 15 years, unemployed for one year ,do i need to retake the training and the test again
Yes, You’ll have to retake the training and certification exam. You must take care though since it isn’t permissible to work as a CNA without a valid license.
Hi my name is Tanya and i live in Chicago I’ll and i haven’t worked in over 6 yrsdo i have to take the class over or can i just take the test over?
Hi Tanya,
Since its been over 2 years since you let your certification lapse, you’ll have to take the training again as well as the CNA certification exam to get re certified.
i completed my cna class in oct of 2008 i never took my exam to be certified and now i am wanting to. its been a little over 2 years can i just study and challenge the test or will i have to take the whole course over again? please help
Hi Janna,
You’re just a tad late. You’re allowed a period of two years after training to complete the test. It seems you’ll now have to retake the training.
I have not worked in a nursing home in4 years but I am doing home health careas a Patient care partner.I recently found out that my Cna licensr expiredand I called the School I went to and they said all I have to do is take my clinicals ovetagain,do I have to take the state rxam over again?
Yes, I believe you do. The clinicals will make you eligible for the exam which you have to complete to get re certified as a CNA
I got my license back in 2008 and my last nursing job was in 2009 do i need to recertify?
If it was late 2009 then you can get your CNA license renewed since you need to have worked for a certain number of hours over the last 2 years
My certification will be expired May 31st and the palce I worked for it out of business and cannot be contacted. What can I do so I can keep my CNA License
You would need to explain your case to the nurse aide registry for your state. I’m sure there will be a way to get it renewed without having to do the test again.
Hi, I have a question that I am hoping someone can help me with. I tried to renew my cna license in 2009 and was denied because the information i sent in was based on private care. even though they were facilities. it is now 2011 and i discovered that i did in fact work during the time frame which would have made me eligible for my license in 2009. shouldnt i qualify for re-instatement of my license? I will also be working in a nursing home setting as of the 13th of this month and i still have a month to challenge the state test. any answers?
I can’t quite give you a definite answer since its purely at the discretion of the NA registry in your state. You could try contacting them while continuing to study for your certification exam. That way, whatever happens you’ll get your license in the next couple of months.
Hello My name is Deidra. My CNA license expired in 2008 but i have still been working as a cna at hospital. I also have license in another state. I understand that i have to pay the fee to take test online for the state im living, but can i use my mississippi license to work at a nursing home until my arkansas license are cleared?
Transferring a license does not take too much time. You can contact the Arkansas nursing Board and ask them if you can work as a CNA while your license is being transferred.
My CNA license is set to expire in a few days. I turned in my renewal form to my employer for submitting, but three weeks have past & my employer haven’t sent in my renewal form. In past instances, similar was done to past employees, who were terminated because their license lapsed. This happened solely at the discretion of my employer. Who can I contact about this problem?
Hi, for recertification, your employer is obligated to sign. You should contact your state CNA registry and notify them of what’s happening.
Hi I got my cna certificate in the state of Kansas in 1994. It do not have a date that it expires in, So I had no idea of when I needed to recertify. I also never gotten anything telling me that I had to renew. But the last time I used my certification was in 2006,but have a still now work in a group home. Can u please tell me what I need to do.
Because your license has lapsed for over 5 years, you will need to retake training as well as the exam.
Hi :). I was certified as a CNA in New Jersey. I have been out of work at the nursing home facility for a year (where i got certified), and have moved from my previous address. My certification ran out on Jan 8th, 2011. I just wanted to know If i have to do training all over again or do I just have to take the test. And also who would i contact for more info about my recert?
Hello,
Hi, i have a cna certificate in the state of michigan and it is dated may 12 1999. I now live in washington state and doing home health care. I want to know, what i have to
do to get recertified on my cna certification in washington state?
I have my CNA license as well as my Medication AideII license and my med aise expired 6/30/12 and my cna expires on 9/13/12 and I need to get them renewed for my job. Could you please let know where to write or who to call. Thank you!
Hi, I have been a cna since 1990 and I have worked as one since, but I switched jobs and started working as a medical assistance. I was in the process of moving but changed my mind. I have a job at another hospital but because I am not certified anymore the job will be passed on. A nursing assistant and medical assistant performs the same duties in a hospital, what’s wrong with Louisiana.
Hi, my license expired 2/3/08. I have been working doing private sitting for the last 2 years and now I want to get my license renewed. Will I have to go back to school or can I just retake the test. I have been keeping up with my first aide and cpr.
I went to work today and was told that my CNA license had expired 2 weeks ago. I have been working for 16 months and I thought that the license would be automatically updated by my employer. Was I the one to renew the license or my employer? I renewed my license today. How long will it take to receive my license and do I have to pay to get a copy of it?
I want to renew my CNA License, I have not worked in over a year my license expired oct 2011, what do i need to do. Will I be issued a brand new license?
My license expired on August 2010. I want to recertified my License in Connecticut State would like to know where can I go to get the application mail to me and where to take the exam.
I would liketo renew my CNA license but I have not worked in this field in over 10 years.
I am currently RMA in state Florida. Due to the unstable job market I am requesting info on what I must due to down grade to CNA for which there is adundance CNA jobs. I was an CNA in state`s of North & South Carolina 10 yrs. ago. Can you assist me with this request.
Thanks
I just move here in CA, I have a Hawaii CNA certificate still good what should I do to have a CA certification. Please advise.
Thank you
I worked for a cna the beginning of 2011 for over 150 hours and then moved back to my hometown and for another cna job at the end of 2011 for only a few weeks. Do I need to renew my certification? If so how do I do that?
I live in arkansas amd I got my cna license then my mom fell ill so I had to take care of her and I srill do.. but I officiallu need a job that pays, I have my red cross certifications for first aide and cpr, do I have to take all this over again or pay and re take the test I started ma/radiology school but hated the radiology so needless to say waste od money, but nursing is my calling I am either doing full care work for two disable people currently since its family I don’t charge. But I need a paying job.. and do you kn ow where in little rock arkansas I can find cna classes if needed to be retook thanks
My CNA license expire in May, 2013 and I need to know how to renew
My CNA license expire in august 2006 I got carpal tunnel surgery that keep me away from work as a cna after my recuperation in 2007 I started working as a caregiver to present but I will like to get my license back. what can I do?
I am actively working as a home health senior care, I have been very busy working for the last ten years, actually longer. license since 1980″s.
I lost my certification due to not been able to make in-service meetings. I now work for a home health company that offers in-service meetings.
I would love renew my can/chha certificates, please tell/inform me in what to do.
Alma
hello my certification license expire 10/15/2013 but my blue from has not come in the mail yes I have moved to 3239 clark walk independence rd Camden n.j. 08104 I have received the letter from the state of new jersey department of health my name is the same my address is not on my driver license will it be a problem when I renew my license
I have a daughter that relinquished her license. Is there anyway she can get them back being that they weren’t taken by the B.O.N.
I got mine through Stratford Career Institute It was online courses and through the mail mainly through the mail and i graduated with honors.I never put in any hrs in the field they told me once i started working my hrs. then would be put fourth toward my time training. Needless to say my kids were small at the time so yrs. latter when I got ready to use it found out it was expired. Had i known I would of got it renewed now i need to know were do I go from here.
Hi, i want to know if my certificate expired in 2007, will i have to pay to take the class
all over again. The reason they expired was due to i was working for a Home Health Agency and it just skipped my mind. So if someone could help me, i
really would appreciate it..
I was certified for CNA back in 1999. I have not been re-certified and I want to go back to work as a CNA in three years. What do I need to do to get back my certificate for CNA?
Do you know what the proper protocol is for the state of FL if haven’t worked in over 10yrs can I take exam again and be recertified or do I have to take the classes all over again?