We received a question from one of our members about coding nurse aides in PBJ. In some states, such as Washington state, the state has suspended exams for the nurse aide training certification during the COVID-19 public health emergency.   Here is the answer from CMS.

1. How does a facility code a nurse aide who has completed the full 75+ hours of required training, including clinical hours, but has been unable to sit for the exam because the state has suspended exams?
   They would be coded as nurse aide in training.  This job code still counts towards nurse aide hours and is used in calculating the staffing score.
2. What about nurse aides whose certification has expired, and they have been unable to renew the certification because the state has suspended renewals during the COVID-19 emergency? Can they still be coded as nurse aides? 
   Yes.  The Secretary of Health extended expiration dates for licenses up for renewal between April 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020. All late fees were waived during this period. Any license that has not yet been renewed needs to be renewed on or before September 30^th to avoid going into expired status.

Questions?

Contact: 

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 425-231-4804