More states require CNAs to exceed training minimums than home health aides

Twice as many states require certified nurse aides to exceed federally mandated training requirements than they require home health aides, according to a new analysis by PHI.

“Our analysis shows that state home health aide training requirements have not kept pace with their nursing home aide training requirements, even though these direct-care workers provide essentially the same care and services,” said PHI’s National Policy Director Steve Edelstein.

The federal training standard for both CNAs and home health aides who are employed by Medicare-certified nursing homes or home care agencies is 75 hours. Fifteen states exceed that training minimum for home health aides, compared to 30 states exceeding the minimum for certified nurse aides.

“Today, both home health clients and nursing home residents have more complex health conditions, making additional training crucial to quality care,” according to a PHI statement, which also suggested the ongoing trend toward home- and community-based services should make training home health workers a priority.

PHI also referenced a 2008 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recommending that the federal minimum training requirement be raised to at least 120 hours for both certified nursing assistants and home health.

The PHI analysis found that of the 15 states that exceed the federal training minimum for home health aides, only four states meet the 120-hour standard recommended by the IOM. In contrast, 14 of the 30 states that exceed the federal training minimum for certified nurse aides meet the IOM recommended training standard.

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Map overlay of home health and nurse aide training requirements by state

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