State terminology: Nurse aide certification. Kansas adult care home regulations ↗ · terminology checked November 5, 2026.
Sources checked November 4, 2026. Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, Health Occupations Credentialing.
How do I transfer my CNA credential to Kansas?
Review the agency instructions and the details that still need confirmation before choosing a pathway.
What does CNA reciprocity mean?
States use the terms reciprocity, endorsement and transfer to describe how they review nurse aide credentials from another state. Each state defines its own process, so use the term your new state uses. Approval is not automatic. The destination state decides whether your training, testing, work history and registry status meet its rules.
A nurse aide registry is an official state list used to check nurse aide status. A competency evaluation is the state-approved nurse aide exam. Its format varies by state. This guide explains the published instructions, but the agency decides whether you qualify.
How do you become a CNA in Kansas?
The standard Kansas nurse aide route requires an approved course of at least 90 hours under K.A.R. 26-50-20(a)(1).
- The Kansas state test is a written exam with 100 multiple-choice questions. You need a score of 75 percent or higher to pass (K.A.R. 26-50-24). Your hands-on skills are checked during your course, not on the state test. An RN watches you perform every skill on the part I task checklist, then dates and signs it (K.A.R. 26-50-20 and 26-50-22).
- How many times you can take the test depends on how you qualified (K.A.R. 26-50-24). If you finished a Kansas-approved 90-hour course, you get three tries within 12 months of your course start date. If you don't pass in that time, you have to take the whole course again. If KDADS accepted your out-of-state or other health care training as equal to the Kansas course, you get one try. If you don't pass, you must finish an approved 90-hour course before you can test again. Some aides can skip the Kansas test. If you work as a nurse aide in another state and are eligible to work there, KDADS may accept your training or test instead (K.A.R. 26-50-26). Some nurses, mental health technicians and nursing students can also be approved to take the test. Once approved, they have four months to pass to keep giving direct care.
Official training directory: KDADS Health Occupations Credentialing program resources ↗
Which pathway applies to you?
Interstate application and Kansas test
Active good-standing out-of-state CNA never previously certified in Kansas
- Request one challenge of the Kansas nurse aide test; this route is not automatic registry placement.[2]
This route may not apply to:
- A person previously certified in Kansas.
Complete the Interstate Application
Mail or email it with required information and payment to KDADS; use the current form for delivery details.[2] [1]
Official route: Mail or email KDADS per Interstate Application. [2] Open agency instructions ↗
Restore inactive Kansas status
Existing Kansas aide unable to document qualifying employment
- Agency FAQ offers an RN-administered skills checklist in a long-term-care facility/hospital or a 10-hour refresher through a postsecondary school.[2]
Official route: KDADS employment/competency process; current forms hub. [2] Open agency instructions ↗
What if you previously held a nurse aide credential in Kansas?
Previously certified Kansas aides are excluded from the interstate-test route; use employment verification or inactive-status competency review.[2]
Who sends registry verification?
The FAQ directs an aide leaving Kansas to contact the destination state.[2]
What exceptions apply?
No additional exception is listed in the reviewed sources.
What fees does the state publish?
| Item | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Interstate application and Kansas test: Interstate application | $20 non-refundable in agency FAQ; confirm the live form before payment.[2] |
What should you confirm with the agency?
- Confirm the current interstate form, mailing address and processing time with KDADS.
- Processing time is not guaranteed.
The state decides eligibility and approval. This guide does not grant a credential.
What will the Kansas planner ask?
- Which pathway applies to you? (Interstate application and Kansas test, Restore inactive Kansas status)
- Have you previously been certified as a nurse aide in Kansas? (Yes, No, I’m not sure)
Sources
- Applications and Forms ↗
Checked November 3, 2026 · Certification > Nurse Aide > Interstate Application; confirm the attachment with the agency.
- Health Occupations Credentials FAQ ↗
Checked November 3, 2026 · Reciprocity/Interstate; inactive nurse aide questions; confirm the current page with the agency.
- Kansas Nurse Aide and Medication Aide FAQs ↗
Checked November 4, 2026 · Reviewed from a copy saved November 4, 2026: renew every two years; at least 8 hours in two years performing activities of daily living, submitted by the employer on the Employment Verification form; doctor's office or clinic hours don't count; if inactive, an RN-administered 18-skill checklist or a 10-hour refresher course.