Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) License Requirements in West Virginia
- Training hours
- 120 hrs
- Upfront cost
- —
- Exam
- Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Knowledge (written or oral) Test, Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Skills Evaluation
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- Issuing board
- West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC) — Nurse Aide Program
How to get licensed
- 1
Meet the prerequisites
Meet the eligibility requirements set by the issuing board. OHFLAC publishes no minimum age for certification — the Policy Manual notes only that individuals under 18 are subject to federal child-labor-law limitations during training/clinical, so minAge is null. backgroundCheck is false for certification itself: the fingerprint-based criminal background check described in the Policy Manual (WV CARES — WV Clearance for Access: Registry and Employment Screening, W.Va. Code § 16-49-1 et seq.) is an EMPLOYMENT screening requirement run by facilities/employers, not a prerequisite for registry placement. [1]
- 2
Complete approved training
Complete 120 hours of training (including 55 clinical hours) at a state-approved program. Per the OHFLAC Nurse Aide Program Policy Manual: the minimum time required for a nurse aide training program is 120 clock hours, of which at least 55 hours must be instructor-supervised clinical practice (the remainder is classroom instruction). Orientation and pre/post-conference hours do not count toward the total, and the clinical day may not exceed 10 hours. West Virginia's 120-hour requirement substantially exceeds the 75-hour federal floor. [1]
- 3
Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Knowledge (written or oral) Test
Pass the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Knowledge (written or oral) Test. Multiple-choice written test (oral alternative available). Fee is null because neither OHFLAC's Nurse Aide Policy Manual nor PHD's public pages state the current exam fee — pricing lives in PHD's Sponsor/Candidate Handbook and application forms, which could not be retrieved for verification; third-party figures were not used. Candidates must pass within two years of completing training, with a maximum of three attempts before retraining. Contact PHD at (304) 733-6145 for current fees. [2]
- 4
Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Skills Evaluation
Pass the Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Skills Evaluation. Practical demonstration of nurse aide skills. Fee is null for the same reason as the knowledge test — no official fee schedule was retrievable. Same two-year window and three-attempt limit. [2]
- 5
Submit your application
Submit your application to West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC) — Nurse Aide Program. [1]
- 6
Receive your license
Once your application is approved, West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC) — Nurse Aide Program issues your Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for West Virginia.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee [1] | None specified |
| License fee [1] | None specified |
| Renewal fee [1] | None specified |
| Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Knowledge (written or oral) Test [2] | None specified |
| Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation — Skills Evaluation [2] | None specified |
All fees are null because West Virginia's official sources publish no amounts: OHFLAC's Nurse Aide Program pages and the Nurse Aide Policy Manual state no application, certification, or renewal fee for registry placement or renewal (renewal is an employment-verification process), and the exam fees charged by the contracted vendor PHD, LLC are not published on pages that could be verified. Facilities, not employees, must pay training fees for facility employees attending fee-charging non-facility-based programs, and Medicaid-certified nursing homes must cover testing costs for their employees.
Renewal & continuing education
Renew every 2 years.
Registry listing renews every two years. The minimum qualifying employment is eight hours of paid work as a nurse aide, under RN supervision in a direct-care setting (nursing homes, home health agencies, and similar settings; private duty work does not count), within the previous two years — verified by the employer on the renewal application. There is no individual continuing-education requirement for renewal, so ceHours is null; facilities are separately required to provide at least 12 hours of nurse aide in-service per year as an employment matter. Aides who do not meet renewal requirements must reregister (which can require retraining and retesting).
Reciprocity
Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.
No interstate compact covers CNAs (the Nurse Licensure Compact applies to RN/LPN only). Nurse aides certified in another state may transfer to West Virginia by completing the Application by Reciprocity, available as an online form on the OHFLAC website (Registration by Reciprocity under Online Services). Per the Policy Manual, placement on the registry can occur through training+competency evaluation, RN/LPN challenge, or reciprocity from another state.
1 state-approved training provider in West Virginia — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.
Frequently asked questions
How many training hours does West Virginia require to become a CNA?
A minimum of 120 clock hours in an OHFLAC-approved program, including at least 55 hours of instructor-supervised clinical practice — well above the 75-hour federal minimum.
Who administers the West Virginia nurse aide exam?
Professional Healthcare Development (PHD), LLC, the state's contracted testing vendor, administers the knowledge test and skills evaluation for OHFLAC. Contact PHD at (304) 733-6145 for current fees and test dates.
How do I keep my West Virginia CNA certification active?
Renew every two years by having your employer verify at least eight hours of paid nurse aide work under RN supervision in a direct-care setting during the previous two years. There is no renewal fee or individual CE requirement.
Can I transfer my CNA certification from another state to West Virginia?
Yes — complete the online Application by Reciprocity on the OHFLAC website. You must hold certification in another state.
Sources
- [1] ohflac.wvdhhr.org/Content/Resources/NA-Policy_Manual.pdf — accessed 2026-07-10
- [2] profhd.com — accessed 2026-07-10
- [3] ohflac.wvdhhr.org/Programs/NA.html — accessed 2026-07-10