CNA Registry by State: Lookup, Verification, and Listing Rules

Open your state's registry search page and enter a name or a certificate number. Some states also ask for the last four digits of a Social Security number before returning a result. Most states verify by phone when the online search will not resolve. A match returns status, dates, and a certificate number.

A name that returns nothing usually means a spelling variant, a maiden or former name, or the wrong state. Try the certificate number instead. Lapsed listings also drop out of some public searches. If nothing works, call the registry directly; every state's registry link sits in the table below.

A registry listing shows name, certificate or registry number, status, issue and expiration dates, and any findings. Active means the certification is current. Expired means the renewal date passed. Lapsed means the listing no longer meets the requirement to stay on the registry. Some states also display the training program and exam dates.

Findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of resident property sit in a separate part of the record. Federal rules require facilities to report them, and the registry keeps them permanently. A finding bars nursing-facility employment. Anyone disputing an entry should take it up with the registry operator, since every employer who runs the check will see it.

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, known as OBRA-87, set the training and competency standards behind every state's certification. Each state must keep a registry of people who completed approved training and passed the competency exam, and employers must verify status before hire. There is no federal registry, so the 51 state records are the only official ones.

Operators vary. The Texas registry is run by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, California's by the state Department of Public Health, and Florida's by the Department of Health. New York's runs through Prometric. Other states use a board of nursing or vendors such as Credentia, Alliant Health Solutions, or Headmaster/D&S Diversified. Forms and search screens differ as a result.

Federal rules require one paid nursing-related work day in a 24-month period to keep a listing active. Miss it and the listing lapses. Getting back on generally means retesting, and after a longer gap, retraining through an approved program again: 75 hours in states at the federal floor and 175 hours in Missouri.

States set their own renewal cycles, commonly every two years, plus fees and paperwork. Keep pay stubs or an employer letter showing paid nursing-related work, because registries sometimes ask for verification an employer never filed. Renewal runs through the state registry, and the table below links to each official page.

Name changes, address updates, and missing training or exam records go through the registry operator, usually with a form and documentation. Missing work-history verification follows the same route. Acceptable proof differs by state, so read the operator's instructions before sending anything. Processing is rarely instant, so start early if a start date depends on it.

Moving to another state works by endorsement. Most states will add a CNA certified elsewhere when the certification is active and in good standing, so apply to the new state's registry rather than starting over. Keep the old listing active until the new one posts. States call the process different things and ask for different paperwork.

Every state keeps a nurse aide registry, 51 in all, and there is no national one. Federal law requires facilities to check it before hiring, so the record needs to be right before an application goes out. Look yourself up by name or certificate number, or call the registry if the search comes back empty. Find your state in the table below and open its official lookup.