New York CNA Registry: Verify a Certification
Verify a New York CNA through the state's nurse aide registry, maintained by the New York State Department of Health and operated through Prometric; the official lookup is linked on this page. The registry is the state's authoritative record of who currently holds active certification as a nurse aide in New York, including any substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property. Federal law requires nursing facilities and home health agencies to check this registry before hiring any nurse aide, so employers in those settings cannot skip this step. You can also verify by phone, 24 hours a day, at (800) 918-8818.
Official New York lookup
Run by NYS Department of Health (registry via Prometric).
(800) 918-8818
Official link checked 2026-09-01
How to verify in three steps
- 1
Open the official lookup
Use the New York lookup linked above. It is free and public.
- 2
Search by name
Enter the aide’s full legal name. If you have it, a certification number narrows the result fastest; some states also ask for city or date of birth.
- 3
Read the status
An active status means the certification is current. Also check for any substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation, which bars employment as an aide.
New York registry at a glance
| Run by | NYS Department of Health (registry via Prometric) |
| Phone | (800) 918-8818 |
| Renewal cycle | Every 24 months (federal baseline) |
| Training required | 100 hours (30 clinical) |
| Federal minimum | 75 hours (16 clinical) |
What the lookup shows
- ✓Certification status (active, expired, or inactive)
- ✓Certification details on file with the registry
- ✓Any substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation (bars employment as an aide)
New York note: 24/7 phone verification at the same number
A registry check is not a criminal background check.
87,990
CNAs working in New York
$48,590
Median pay per year ($23.36/hr)
$42,260
National median
100 hrs
Required training (30 clinical)
CNA median pay in New York, 2015 to 2025
$33,700 in 2015 to $48,590 in 2025 (BLS OES).
Wages and employment: BLS OES, May 2025.
What you need for a lookup
To search the registry you typically need the aide's full legal name, and having a date of birth or certification number on hand narrows the results faster. A successful search shows certification status: whether the person is currently listed as a certified nurse aide in New York and, where applicable, the certification date. The registry also records substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property; anyone with such a finding cannot be employed as a nurse aide. It is not a full employment history or criminal background check.
Renewal, lapses, and moving to New York
Nurse aide certification follows a federal 24-month renewal cycle: to stay active, an aide generally needs paid nursing-related work during that window. Without qualifying paid work in the prior 24 months, certification lapses, and a lapsed certification usually means retesting to get back on the registry. Aides moving to New York from another state don't start over automatically; the state handles incoming aides through reciprocity or endorsement based on prior certification and testing history. Because specifics can vary by situation, contact the registry directly using the phone number or site linked on this page rather than assuming your out-of-state timeline applies.
CNA work in New York, by the numbers
New York employs about 87,990 certified nurse aides, according to BLS OES May 2025 figures. The median pay is $48,590 a year, or $23.36 an hour, which runs $6,330 above the national median of $42,260. That's a sizable jump from a decade earlier: New York's median CNA pay was $33,700 in 2015, a 44.2 percent increase over ten years. New York also sets a higher training bar than the federal minimum: the state requires 100 hours of training, including 30 hours of hands-on nursing-home practical experience, compared with the federal floor of 75 hours, of which 16 must be supervised practical hours. Nationally, the field is expected to add 196,200 openings a year through 2035, with 2.6 percent projected growth, so demand for trained aides isn't slowing down.
Verifying an aide certified in a different state? Every state runs its own registry: find the right one in the state directory.
Common questions
How do I look up a CNA license in New York?
Use the official registry lookup linked on this page, run through Prometric for the New York State Department of Health. Enter the aide's name, along with a date of birth or certification number if you have it, to see current certification status. You can also call the registry directly at (800) 918-8818, staffed for verification 24 hours a day.
I passed my CNA exam. How long until I appear on the registry?
You're added to the registry after your exam results and required paperwork are processed by the state, not the moment you finish testing. Processing time varies and isn't fixed. If a reasonable amount of time has passed and you still don't appear on the registry, call (800) 918-8818 to check your status directly.
What if I search and can't find someone?
Try searching under name variants first, including maiden names, hyphenated last names, or a different middle initial, since a small mismatch can hide a real result. Not finding someone in an online search is not proof they're uncertified. Confirm any negative result by calling the registry directly at (800) 918-8818 before drawing conclusions.
How often does a New York CNA certification need to be renewed?
Nurse aide certification runs on a 24-month renewal cycle under federal rules, requiring qualifying paid nursing-related work within that window to stay active. Exact state-level renewal steps and documentation can vary, so confirm specifics with the New York registry at (800) 918-8818 or the site linked on this page.
How many hours of training does a CNA need in New York?
New York requires 100 hours of CNA training, including 30 hours of hands-on practical experience in a nursing home. That's well above the federal minimum of 75 hours, which itself requires at least 16 hours of supervised practical training.
How do I update my name or address on the registry?
Contact the registry that holds your New York certification directly at (800) 918-8818 to update your name or address. Updates like this are routine, but the exact paperwork required, such as proof of a legal name change, is set by the registry, not standardized elsewhere.