To run a Texas CNA verification, use the Employability Status Check Search on the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s TULIP portal at tulip.hhs.texas.gov/TULIP/s/public-search. It is free, requires no account, and is the only method HHSC recognizes as compliant with federal regulations and state law; the agency no longer issues written verifications.1Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide Registry A single search covers both the Nurse Aide Registry and the Employee Misconduct Registry, so one lookup tells you whether a person is certified and whether they are listed as unemployable.
Running the Search
Open the public search page, choose “Nurse Aide” from the Program Type dropdown, and enter any combination of the person’s name, Social Security number (formatted XXX-XX-XXXX), license number, state, city, or zip code.2Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide Public Registry Search Name searches accept filters for “Equals,” “Begins With,” “Ends With,” and “Contains,” which helps when a spelling is uncertain.
Facilities checking several aides at once can use the bulk upload. The downloadable template requires first name, last name, and Social Security number, with date of birth formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. Each upload handles up to 900 records.2Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide Public Registry Search
What the Status Result Means
The search returns one of five statuses. Each one has a specific bearing on whether the person can work in a regulated Texas facility.
- Active. The registration is current and the aide is eligible for employment in a licensed Texas nursing facility.
- Expired. The registration has lapsed. The aide cannot work until they renew by verifying qualifying employment, or, if they lack recent work experience, by retraining and retesting.
- Prospective. The person has applied for a nurse aide certificate but is not yet certified.
- Revoked. The aide is permanently barred from employment in regulated facilities due to a substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of resident property.
- Suspended. The aide appears on the Employee Misconduct Registry as unemployable and cannot work in any HHSC-regulated facility or agency.1Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide Registry
A Texas nurse aide’s certification expires 24 months after it was issued or 24 months after the last date of verified employment, whichever comes first.3Cornell Law Institute. 26 Tex. Admin. Code Section 556.9 So an “Expired” result on someone who has been out of nursing work for two years is common and does not itself indicate any misconduct; it simply means the person needs to renew before they can be hired for covered duties.
A “Revoked” or “Suspended” result, by contrast, is a bar to hiring for direct-care work. Findings entered on the registry after a substantiated allegation of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation must, under federal law, remain there permanently, and the entry itself includes a summary of the allegation, the evidence, the outcome of any hearing, and any statement the aide submitted in response. All of that information is publicly accessible and HHSC must disclose it on request.4eCFR. 42 CFR Section 483.156
What Employers Are Required To Check
HHSC-regulated facilities must search both the Nurse Aide Registry and the Employee Misconduct Registry before hiring a prospective employee, and again every year the person remains employed.5Texas Health and Human Services. Employee Misconduct Registry Title 26 of the Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 561, Rule 561.3 requires providers to search both registries to determine whether the applicant is listed as unemployable.6Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership. Employability Status Check Instructions Anyone showing a revoked or suspended status on either registry cannot be hired for direct-care work.
A person can hold a valid nurse aide certificate and still appear on the EMR as unemployable, which is why the combined check matters. The EMR is authorized under Chapter 253 of the Texas Health and Safety Code and tracks unlicensed personnel who have committed substantiated acts of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misconduct against individuals receiving services.5Texas Health and Human Services. Employee Misconduct Registry When an EMR search returns no records for a person, the results page shows the name and Social Security number with no date under “Misconduct Registry Enter Date,” which is the confirmation that the person is not listed. HHSC advises screenshotting the results, including the search criteria and the computer’s date and time stamp, to document the check.6Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership. Employability Status Check Instructions
Criminal Convictions That Bar Employment
A clean registry check is not the whole picture. Employers should also consult HHSC’s list of criminal convictions that bar employment in covered facilities. Under Texas Health and Safety Code § 250.006, convictions for offenses including criminal homicide, sexual assault, robbery, arson, and exploitation of an elderly or disabled individual permanently disqualify a person. A separate category, including felony assault, burglary, and felony theft, bars employment for five years from the date of conviction.7Texas Health and Human Services. Criminal Convictions Barring Employment Successful completion of deferred adjudication that ends in dismissal is not treated as a conviction under the statute.8Justia. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 250.006
This Tool Does Not Verify RNs or LVNs
The TULIP search covers nurse aides, medication aides, and nursing facility administrators only. It does not verify Registered Nurses or Licensed Vocational Nurses. The Texas Board of Nursing, a separate agency, handles RN and LVN licensure and states on its own FAQ page that it does not regulate or license CNAs, directing those inquiries to HHSC.9Texas Board of Nursing. Licensure FAQs To verify an RN or LVN, use the Board of Nursing’s licensure verification portal or the Nursys database operated by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.10Texas Board of Nursing. Licensure Verification
Who To Call With Questions
For questions about a specific registry entry, renewals, reciprocity, or certificate changes, contact the Nurse Aide Registry at 512-438-2050 or NurseAideRegistry@hhsc.state.tx.us.11Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide In-Service Education Questions about revoked certificates or enforcement actions go to the Nurse Aide Enforcement Unit at 512-438-5495.12Texas Health and Human Services. NAR Credentialing FAQs For technical problems with the TULIP portal, call 512-438-2584 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time or submit a help request form on the TULIP homepage.1Texas Health and Human Services. Nurse Aide Registry