StateLicensed

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) License Requirements in Kansas

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
90 hrs
Upfront cost
—
Exam
Kansas Nurse Aide Test (Written + Skills)
Renewal cycle
—
Issuing board
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) — Health Occupations Credentialing

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Pass a criminal background check. No official minimum age requirement was confirmed on a directly-renderable KDADS page — left null rather than guessed. KDADS operates a dedicated Criminal Record Check Program within Health Occupations Credentialing, confirming a background check requirement for CNA candidates and other credentialed health occupations. [3]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 90 hours of training (including 45 clinical hours) at a state-approved program. 90 total hours at a KDADS-approved program, split into two parts: Part I (20 classroom hours + 20 lab/clinical hours) and Part II (25 advanced classroom hours + 25 clinical hours in a licensed adult care home), for 45 classroom + 45 clinical hours overall. At least half of the program must be supervised clinical training in a licensed facility or school lab. [1]

  3. 3

    Kansas Nurse Aide Test (Written + Skills)

    Pass the Kansas Nurse Aide Test (Written + Skills). Kansas is one of the few states where the state agency itself administers the nurse aide competency test rather than contracting a national testing vendor. An exact base exam fee was not confirmed on an official, directly-renderable KDADS page (the site returns 403 to automated fetches, similar to other states' bot-blocked pages); left null rather than guessed. Federal/state rule requires that Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility employers cover the exam fee (including retests) for their nurse aide employees. A $20 rescheduling fee has been reported. [2]

  4. 4

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) — Health Occupations Credentialing. [2]

  5. 5

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) — Health Occupations Credentialing issues your Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) for Kansas.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [2] None specified
License fee [2] None specified
Renewal fee [2] None specified
Kansas Nurse Aide Test (Written + Skills) [2] None specified

KDADS's own certification-policies-faqs page could not be rendered directly (403 to automated fetches; no Wayback Machine snapshot capturing the fee text was retrievable in this session), so specific application/license/renewal dollar amounts are left null rather than guessed. Kansas does not issue a fixed-term certificate — see renewal for the work-continuity model.

Renewal & continuing education

Renewal cycle not specified.

Kansas CNA certification does not expire on a fixed schedule. Instead, it moves to inactive status if the CNA does not work at least 8 hours in a nurse aide role during any 24-month period. cycleYears is left null because there is no periodic renewal date, similar to Illinois and Iowa's work-continuity models.

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

No interstate compact covers CNAs/nurse aides. Kansas offers a reciprocity/endorsement pathway for nurse aides certified in another state to be added to the Kansas Nurse Aide Registry; specific documentation requirements are handled through KDADS Health Occupations Credentialing (785-296-6877, Nurse Aide Registry line).

24 state-approved training providers in Kansas — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours of CNA training does Kansas require?

90 total hours at a KDADS-approved program: Part I is 20 classroom + 20 lab/clinical hours, and Part II is 25 advanced classroom + 25 clinical hours in a licensed adult care home.

Who administers the Kansas CNA exam?

KDADS Health Occupations Credentialing administers the Kansas Nurse Aide Test directly at approved school/college test sites — Kansas does not use a national vendor like Prometric or Credentia.

Does my Kansas CNA certification expire?

It doesn't expire on a fixed schedule, but it becomes inactive if you don't work at least 8 hours as a nurse aide during any 24-month period.

Is a background check required to become a CNA in Kansas?

Yes. KDADS Health Occupations Credentialing runs a dedicated Criminal Record Check Program for CNA candidates and other credentialed health occupations.

Sources

  1. [1] kdads.ks.gov/licensing-policy/health-occupations-credentialing/training-provider-information-resources-forms — accessed 2026-07-10
  2. [2] kdads.ks.gov/licensing-policy/health-occupations-credentialing/certification-policies-faqs — accessed 2026-07-10
  3. [3] kdads.ks.gov/licensing-policy/health-occupations-credentialing/criminal-record-check-program — accessed 2026-07-10
  4. [4] kdads.ks.gov/licensing-policy/health-occupations-credentialing/applications-forms — accessed 2026-07-10