How to Complete and Submit the NJ CNA License Renewal Form

The NJ CNA license renewal form is the recertification data mailer issued by PSI, the vendor that runs the New Jersey Nurse Aide Registry, and you must submit it every two years before your certificate’s printed expiration date.¹ To renew, you need to show you worked at least seven paid hours doing nursing or nursing-related services in a licensed New Jersey healthcare setting during the past 24 months, and you need a completed criminal background check with fingerprinting on file before your certificate expires.

What You Have to Meet Before Renewing

Four conditions must be satisfied by your expiration date:

Your current certificate is active, not expired, revoked, or suspended.
You worked at least seven paid hours performing nursing or nursing-related services in a licensed healthcare facility or a Department-licensed agency in the 24 months before your expiration.²
Your certificate has not been revoked under N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.5(a) or suspended under N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.5(b).²
You completed a criminal background investigation, including fingerprinting, before your certification expires.¹

The seven-hour work minimum is low, and most working aides meet it without thinking. The background check is the piece that catches people. Fingerprinting appointments and processing take time, so schedule that step at least a couple of months before your expiration date. If the check isn’t completed by the deadline, you fall out of the standard renewal path and into reinstatement, which is much more work.

What to Gather Before You Fill Out the Mailer

Under N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.6(c), a designated representative at your healthcare facility has to sign the mailer to verify your employment.² That’s usually a Director of Nursing or an administrator, but the rule leaves it to whoever your employer designates. Have these ready:

Your certification number, printed on your current certificate. If you can’t find it, look up your record at njna.psiexams.com using your name and date of birth.³
Your current mailing address, because the state mails the new physical certificate to whatever address is on the form.
Facility name and dates of employment covering the seven paid hours.
Confirmation that your background check is done and submitted.

Get the employer signature before you send anything. If you worked at more than one facility during the two-year period, you only need verification from one; the rule asks for proof of seven hours, not a full log from every job.

Where the Form Goes

PSI issues the recertification data mailer and receives it back. If you never got a mailer, lost it, or have questions about the form itself, contact PSI:

New Jersey Nurse Aide Registry, PSI
3525 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 1000
Hamilton Township, New Jersey 08619
Toll-free: 877-774-4243¹

Fill every field with current information: name, address, certification number, and employment verification. Have the designated facility representative sign the employment section. Make sure the employment dates on the form match your facility’s records, because mismatches are a common source of processing delays.

Confirming Your Renewal Went Through

Once you’ve submitted the mailer, check your status on the public registry search at njna.psiexams.com. You can search by last name, first name, date of birth, or certification number.³ When your record shows the new expiration date, you’re cleared to keep working, and the state mails a new physical certificate to the address on your form.

If the expiration date is close and your record hasn’t updated, call PSI at 877-774-4243 to confirm your submission was received. Don’t wait until after expiration. Once the certificate lapses, you’re in a different process with different requirements.

If You Miss the Deadline

Under N.J.A.C. 8:39-43.6(d), an aide who doesn’t meet the standard recertification requirements has two possible paths back, depending on when the original certificate was issued:²

If your certificate was issued within the last five years, you can skip repeating the full training program by passing the clinical skills evaluation and the written or oral competency exam.
If your certificate was issued more than five years ago, you must complete a new state-approved nurse aide training program and then pass both competency exams.

Either way, anyone with an expired certificate must go through a new criminal background investigation under N.J.A.C. 8:43I.² Federal rules add another trigger: under 42 C.F.R. § 483.35(d)(6), if you go 24 consecutive months without paid nursing or nursing-related work, you must complete a new training and competency evaluation program before any facility can employ you as a nurse aide.⁴ If your expiration is close and you haven’t worked the required hours, even a short shift at a licensed facility can satisfy the seven-hour minimum.

If You’ve Moved Since Your Last Renewal

Two separate calls, both worth making before you submit the form. Update your address with the New Jersey Nurse Aide Registry at 877-774-4243, and notify the Criminal Investigations Unit at 609-292-4303.¹ Skip either one and you risk the new certificate going to the wrong address, or your background check records not matching what’s on your renewal.

1
New Jersey Department of Health. Renew or Replace a Certificate
2
Cornell Law Institute. N.J. Admin. Code 8:39-43.6 – Recertification
3
PSI. License Management
4
eCFR. 42 CFR 483.35 – Nursing Services