Frequently Asked Questions

Yes.  You can submit your application and upload any documentation through the following link:

• Online Application form for Placement on the Registry for CNAs

A PDF version of the form is also available.  Download to complete it.  Then email it with required documentation to dlrs.cnaregistry@maine.gov or fax it to 207-287-9325;

If you are not listed as "Active" on the Registry, you cannot work as a CNA in Maine. 10-144 CMR Ch. 110, Regulations Governing the Licensing and Functioning of Skilled Nursing Facilities and Nursing Facilities, does allow these facilities to hire CNAs prior to listing who have been granted reciprocity or has been deemed competent under Maine State Board of Nursing rules, for a period of no more than four months.  

No. Federal CNA law prohibits Maine from charging an applicant or a CNA a fee to be listed on the Registry.

You must submit the following:

      (A) a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained in Maine (include name as it appears on your ID, signature, and date);

      (B) documentation of successful completion of Maines approved CNA training program within the last two years;

      (C) documentation of successful completion of the Maine CNA competency test;

      (D) a copy of your Certificate of Training; and

      (E) a copy of the criminal background check that was secured by your instructor as part of your course application.

You may not be listed on the Registry if you have employment restrictions based on criminal convictions or substantiated complaints that bar you from working as a CNA in Maine.

You must submit the following:

      (A) a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained out-of-state (include name as it appears on your ID, signature, and date);

      (B) documentation verifying current active status of an approved out-of-state CNA training program;

      (C) a copy of a current photo ID

You may not be listed on the Registry if you have employment restrictions based on criminal convictions or substantiated complaints that bar you from working as a CNA in Maine.

You must submit the following:

      (A) a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained out-of-state;

      (B) documentation verifying successful completion of medical training or work in the military that is equivalent to Maines approved CNA training program;

      (C) documentation that identifies the dates of the equivalent training or equivalent work, and the number of classroom and clinical hours of equivalent training or equivalent work; and

      (D) documentation of completion of at least the ninth grade.

CNAs on active duty must submit a copy of their training certificate (examples: Army 91 A, B, or C; Air Force Medical Specialist; or Navy Hospital Corpsman). CNAs not on active duty must submit a copy of their DD214 or similar official document. You may not be listed on the Registry if you  have  employment restrictions based on criminal convictions or substantiated complaints that bar you from working as a CNA in Maine.

Current or former students of a nursing school (either in Maine or out-of-state) who want to work as a CNA in Maine must send the Registry a certificate of equivalent training issued by the director of the school of nursing and either a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained in Maine or an application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained out-of-state.

A nurse must submit either a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained in Maine or application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained out-of-state, and a copy of your diploma, degree or transcript.

You must submit the following:

      (A) a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained out-of-state;

      (B) a copy of your diploma, degree, or transcripts (diploma, degree or transcripts must be in English);

      (C) a copy of a criminal background check;

      (D) a copy of your visa; and

      (E) a copy of your Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (COGFNS) information.

If you applied to the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (COGFNS) to have your credentials reviewed, you may already have a packet of most or all of the information that you must submit with your application form. If you are from a non-English speaking country, COGFNS had you undergo the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). If you are applying to the Registry as a CNA trained out of state, include a copy of your COGFNS packet with your completed application form.

Only CNAs listed on the Registry may work as a CNA in Maine. You will not be considered for placement on the Maine CNA Registry until you have satisfactorily completed Maine’s approved CNA training program, Maine’s CNA competency test, and submitted a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained in Maine.

You must satisfactorily complete Maine's approved CNA training program, Maine's CNA competency test; and submit a completed application form for placement on the Registry for CNAs trained out-of-state before you may be considered for placement on the Maine CNA Registry 

Yes. You must be at least 16 years old.

No, but you do have to provide documented proof that you completed at least the ninth grade.

The Registry has 30 days to determine your eligibility for placement on the Registry after receiving your completed application form and all required documentation. You will receive a letter confirming the date you are approved for placement on the Registry.

Yes. You will receive a letter confirming the date you are approved for placement on the Registry. Keep this letter with your important papers. This letter also will indicate the date your listing expires unless you submit a renewal form. You may visit the CNA Registry web portal to confirm your placement on the Registry.

There are three requirements to stay active.

     (1) You must complete a minimum of at least 8 hours of qualified employment every 24 months;

     (2) You must have no disqualifying annotations; and

     (3) you must renew your CNA Registry listing every 24 months.

Failure to meet any one of these requirements bars you from working as a CNA in Maine.

You must contact the CNA Registry in that state to find out what their requirements are for placement on their Registry. For contact information, go to the National Directory of Nurse Aide Registries (pdf*). A reciprocity form may be required. A reciprocity form confirms your status on the Maine CNA Registry and should facilitate your transfer to another state Registry.

You must renew your listing on the CNA Registry every 24 months by submitting a completed renewal form with all the required documents. Failure to renew your listing bars you from working as a CNA in Maine.

Yes. The Registry will send a reminder to the address we have in your file forty-five to sixty days prior to the expiration of your listing. Please make sure the Registry always has your current address.  It is your responsibility to renew your listing on the CNA Registry before it expires if you want to continue working as a CNA in Maine.

Maine's approved training program requires a minimum of 130 hours of training. If you were trained in another state, you must provide documentation that you received an equivalent amount of approved out-of-state CNA training.

CNAs are allowed to perform any nursing service on the Official CNA Skills List  CNAs must work under the supervision of a registered professional nurse.

No, unless they become a CNA-M (a Certified Nursing Assistant Medications) by satisfactorily completing the Standardized Medication Course for Certified Nursing Assistants.

CNAs are  allowed to work only under the supervision of a registered professional nurse.

Nursing facilities must provide CNAs with no less than 12 hours per year of in-service education.

25. What are the training requirements for CNAs employed by nursing facilities?

There are federal requirements that apply to CNAs working in a nursing facility.

(A) Free training: an individual who is employed by, or who has received an offer of employment from, a nursing facility on or before the date the individual begins a CNA training program or competency evaluation may not be charged for any portion of the program (including any fees for textbooks or other required course materials).

(B) Reimbursement for training costs: a CNA who becomes employed by, or receives an offer of employment from, a nursing facility not later than 12 months after satisfactory completion of a CNA training program or competency evaluation may be eligible for reimbursement by the nursing facility for costs incurred for the training program or competency evaluation. For more information, speak to your employer.

(C) Ongoing in-service education. Nursing facilities must provide CNAs with no less than twelve (12) hours per year of in-service education. The nursing facility gives the CNA documentation of completed in-service education. Keep this information with your important papers. You will need it when you renew your listing on the Registry.

Yes. The Registry will send you a letter stating that there are convictions that will be placed on the Registry as either non-disqualifying annotations or disqualifying annotations.

You should email the CNA Registry and state the reasons why you think the information is wrong.

An annotation is information on the Registry about criminal convictions and substantiated complaints. There are 2 kinds of annotations: non-disqualifying annotations and disqualifying annotations.

A non-disqualifying annotation is information about you on the Registry concerning criminal convictions of Class D or Class E crimes that do not prohibit you from working as a CNA in Maine. There is an exception: when the victim of the Class D or Class E crime was a patient, client or resident in a health care setting, you may not work as a CNA.

A disqualifying annotation is information about you on the Registry that prohibits you from working as a CNA in Maine. Disqualifying annotations include:

     (A) substantiated complaints of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property in a health care setting;

     (B) convictions for crimes when the victim was a patient, client or resident in a health care setting:

     (C) convictions within the previous 10 years of Class A, B, or C crimes;

     (D) convictions within the previous 10 years of sex assault crimes; and

     (E) convictions within the previous 10 years of crimes: involving abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property.

That depends on the nature of the disqualifying offense.

1. Substantiated complaint annotations for abuse and misappropriation of property stay on your record permanently.
2. A neglect annotation that is the result of a complaint investigation may be removed from your record if the finding of neglect was a singular occurrence and your petition for removal of a finding of neglect is successful. Otherwise, substantiated complaints for neglect stay on your record permanently.
3. Annotations for Class D or Class E crimes are removed from your record on the Registry 10 years after the date you were convicted. There is an exception: if the victim of a Class D or Class E crime was a patient, client or resident of a health care setting, the annotation stays on your record permanently.

You must send the Registry a completed Petition for Removal of a Finding of Neglect form. CNAs with a one-time finding of neglect may petition for removal 12 months after the date the finding of neglect was entered on the Maine Registry, if the finding of neglect was a singular occurrence and the employment and personal history of the CNA does not reflect a pattern of abusive behavior or neglect.

Yes. Some criminal convictions, and any substantiated complaint of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property, prohibit employment as a CNA in Maine.

Yes. There are 2 exceptions:

1. Convictions that occurred before June 1, 2003, are not subject to employment restrictions if [1] you were listed on the Registry prior to June 1, 2003 and [2] you have continued to maintain an active status on the Registry. As long as you remain on the Registry and continue to meet all other CNA requirements, you may work as a CNA. If you are convicted of a crime after June 1, 2003 that results in a disqualifying annotation on your record on the Registry, you will be removed from the registry and you may not work as a CNA in Maine.
2. If  a Class D or Class E conviction is less than 10 years old and the victim was not a patient, client, or resident of a health care setting, it will be listed on the Registry as a non-disqualifying annotation. You may work as a CNA when you have non-disqualifying annotations.

The  criminal convictions that disqualify an individual from employment are listed in 10-144 CMR Ch. 60, Maine Background Check Center Rule, Section 3 (I).

A substantiated complaint is a complaint involving abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property that was verified after an investigation by state surveyors. Substantiated complaints are entered on the CNA Registry as disqualifying annotations.

Yes. Substantiated complaints of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property are employment restrictions that prohibit employment as a CNA or as a Direct Care Worker.

Yes, the Registry will send you a letter stating that a complaint against you was substantiated.

39. How do I appeal the substantiated complaint decision if I disagree with it?

You must submit a letter requesting a hearing to the CNA Registry within 30 days after you receive the Registry's letter. 

No. A CNA with employment restrictions is barred from employment as a Direct Care Worker.

An application is fraudulent when an individual knowingly submits an application form or renewal form that contains misrepresentations concerning qualification for listing on the CNA Registry or in any way attempts to obtain placement on the Registry by deceitful or fraudulent means.

The Registry will deny the fraudulent application. Anyone who was placed on the Registry based on a fraudulent application shall be removed from the active list of the Registry.

Yes, the Registry will send you a letter stating the basis for their finding that you submitted a fraudulent application and that you have 30 days if you want to request a hearing to appeal the Registrys decision.

You must submit a completed request a hearing form to the CNA Registry within 30 days after you receive the Registry’s letter. You must specify the reasons why you disagree with the decision and why you want to appeal.

You may fax or mail a petition for reinstatement form twelve (12) months after the date it was documented on the CNA Registry that you were either denied listing or removed from the Registry for submitting a fraudulent application.

You must demonstrate that the denial of listing, or the removal from the Registry, was based on only one application or renewal that resulted in a finding of misrepresentation, deceit or fraud.

A CNA-M is an experienced CNA who has completed additional training to administer selected noninjectable medications to patients who are 4 years of age and older.

The Maine State Board of Nursing rules established the following requirements. To become a CNA-M, a CNA must:

     (A) be listed and "Active" on the Maine CNA Registry with no disqualifying annotations;

     (B) have completed at least the equivalent of one year of full-time employment as a CNA;

     (C) achieve the tenth grade competency level on the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), or other competency assessment mechanisms as approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing; and

     (D) satisfactorily complete the Maine State Board of Nursing Standardized Medication Course for Certified Nursing Assistants.

The Maine State Board of Nursing (MSBoN) has authority and oversight of CNA-M training. An individual would need to find an MSBoN-appoved CNA-M training program and successfully complete the program to become a CNA-M. Upon completion of the CNA-M training, the course instructor will issue a CNA-M “Certificate of Training” to the individual. It is the individual’s responsibility to submit a copy of the certificate to the registry for inclusion on their training record.

You must:

   (A) maintain an active status on the CNA Registry with no disqualifying annotations; and

    (B) comply with the mechanism for maintaining competency provided by the health care facility that employs you to work as a CNA-M (for details, speak to your employer).

The Maine State Board of Nursing oversees training of CNAs as CNA-Ms through the Standardized Medication Course for Certified Nursing Assistants. A student nurse working as a CNA under a certificate of equivalent training should direct questions about becoming a CNA-M to the Maine State Board of Nursing.

They learn different skills. Certified residential medication aides (CRMAs) must be able to transcribe physician's orders and complete medication administration records because CRMAs do not work under the supervision of a registered professional nurse, as CNA-Ms do.

Chart #54 -  Differences between a CNA-M and a CRMA