A New York home health aide (HHA) certificate has no expiration date, and there is no renewal form or fee. It lapses only if you go 24 consecutive months without working for a licensed or certified home care agency. Your standing lives in the New York State Home Care Registry, not on a card.
That is different from what many aides are told. Older guides say you must “renew” every year with 12 in-service hours. The state’s own letters say otherwise. Below is what the Department of Health (DOH) says, and what to do if your certificate has lapsed.
Does an HHA certificate expire in New York?
Not by date. DOH’s guidance to agencies states that HHA certificates “do not have an expiration date,” but they lapse if the aide has not worked for an Article 36 or Article 40 agency within a 24 consecutive month period. That wording comes from DOH letter DHCBS 22-07, which relies on a federal rule, 42 CFR 484.80.
The DOH training FAQ puts it in plain terms: aides stay certified as long as they work for a DOH-certified or licensed home health agency. Here is how the three aide certificates compare.
| Certificate | Expiration date? | Can it lapse? | Yearly in-service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care aide (PCA) | No | No. DOH says PCA certificates do not lapse | Condition of employment only |
| Home health aide (HHA) | No | Yes, after 24 consecutive months without qualifying agency work | 12 hours a year, condition of employment only |
| Advanced home health aide (AHHA) | No | Needs a valid HHA certificate to keep AHHA status | 18 hours a year, required to keep AHHA status on the registry |
What is the New York State Home Care Registry?
The Home Care Registry (HCR) is the state database of aides who completed a state-approved training program. It was created under Chapter 594 of the Laws of 2008, and home care agencies are prohibited from using anyone who is not listed in it. Agencies check the registry when they hire you, and you are not required to hand over a paper certificate if you appear in the public view.
Each listing shows an “approved for employment” status. DOH explains the values in its registry FAQ.
| Status shown | What DOH says it means |
|---|---|
| Yes | The DOH background check was favorable and the HHA certification is current, so the aide may be hired |
| No | The aide was disapproved after the background investigation, and agencies may not hire them |
| Unknown | A background review is still pending, or new information triggered another review |
| Never Reviewed by NYS DOH | Aides working before 9/1/2006 who never applied at a new agency, and anyone employed only as a private duty aide |
The registry itself warns that it is limited, partly self-reported, and may list people whose certification has lapsed. A listing alone does not prove your certificate is current.
How do you check the New York State Home Care Registry?
- Open the New York State Home Care Registry public search.
- Search by name (at least two letters of the last name) or by your DOH-assigned Home Care Registry number.
- Look at your training entry, your employment history and the “approved for employment” status.
- If something is wrong, such as a missing record or a duplicate registry number, call the Help Desk at 1-877-877-1827 or email hcreg@health.ny.gov.
People without internet access can phone the same Help Desk, and staff can verify training status and employment approval. For a longer walkthrough with screenshots, see our guide to checking the NY State Department of Health Home Care Registry.
What counts toward the 24 months, and what does not?
The clock runs from the date you last worked for a qualifying agency. DOH’s training FAQ is blunt that leaving agency work for private work or for work out of state starts the countdown, because those jobs are not reported to the registry as agency employment.
| Where you worked | Keeps the HHA certificate current? |
|---|---|
| Licensed home care services agency, certified home health agency or hospice (Article 36 or 40) | Yes, this is the qualifying employment DOH describes |
| Privately for one family, paid directly | No. DOH says the certification lapses two years after your last agency work in New York |
| Out of state | No, same rule as above |
| Nursing home, hospital or as a CDPAP personal assistant | Not named in the DOH letter. Ask the Help Desk before you count it |
If you are nearing the two-year mark, one assignment with a licensed agency inside the window protects the certificate.
What happens if your HHA certificate has lapsed?
You have a way back, and it is shorter than most people expect. DOH letter DHCBS 25-06 says a lapsed HHA may renew only by taking part in an approved HHA training program, but the aide is eligible to take the competency evaluation instead of the full course. Follow these steps.
- Confirm you are in the registry. If you are not listed, an agency cannot consider you, and you must complete an approved training program first.
- Contact an agency that runs an approved HHA training program. DOH says these agencies can give the competency evaluation, which includes a written exam and a demonstration of skills.
- Pass the evaluation. DOH’s FAQ lists an HHA who has not been employed as an HHA for 24 consecutive months among those eligible for the competency evaluation alone.
- If you do not pass, take the full course. The standard HHA program is 75 hours, made up of 59 classroom hours and 16 hours of supervised practical training.
If you hold both HHA and PCA certificates, a lapsed HHA does not end your career. DOH says a dually certified aide whose HHA certificate has lapsed may work under the PCA certificate, as long as the job stays within a PCA’s scope of practice. Our page on getting an HHA certificate in New York covers initial training, and personal care services explains what a PCA does.
Are in-service hours and health checks required, and do they affect the certificate?
They are required by your employer, but they do not decide whether the certificate itself is active. The DOH letter says that for PCA and HHA certificates, annual in-service requirements “do not impact the certificate status,” because completing in-services is a condition of employment only.
The rules themselves sit in 10 NYCRR 766.11, which you can read in a public copy of the regulation. DOH also states in its training FAQ that the employing agency must provide nursing supervision and 12 hours of in-service training per year to home health aides.
| Requirement | What the regulation says |
|---|---|
| HHA in-service | 12 hours of in-service education per year |
| AHHA in-service | 18 hours per year |
| Health status | An annual health status assessment, and one before starting patient care |
| Tuberculosis | A TB risk assessment, symptom evaluation and TB test before employment, then annual follow-up |
| Rubella and measles | Proof of immunity; measles proof for staff born on or after January 1, 1957 |
| Influenza | Vaccination documented, or a mask worn during flu season |
| Performance review | An annual assessment, with at least one in-home visit to observe, where applicable |
Ask for a copy of your in-service log each year, since the agency holds these records.
Do you need to retrain if you trained in another state?
New York does not simply accept an out-of-state certificate, but you may not need the whole course. DOH lists “documented home health aide or nurse aide training and competency evaluation from an out-of-state training program” among the people eligible to take the competency evaluation alone. A nurse aide on the New York Nurse Aide Registry also does not have to repeat skills already learned, though the HHA program must confirm the aide is competent in those skills.
How do you keep your own file?
Do not rely on one agency to remember your history. Agencies close, and the registry is only as complete as the people who entered your data.
- Save your registry number and a screenshot of your listing each year.
- Keep your training certificate. If you lost it, DOH says to ask the training program first; if it has closed, call the Help Desk, and the registry can print a duplicate marked as such.
- Keep a dated list of agencies you worked for, with your last day at each.
- Keep the certificates from every in-service class.
- Update your address with the registry and your employer.
If you are an aide looking for agency work to keep your record current, see our HHA jobs page. Families trying to understand what a certified aide can and cannot do can read about in-home care.
ProLife Home Care is a licensed home care agency serving Brooklyn and Queens (New York State DOH licence #2572L001). If you have a question about aide employment or care at home, call (718) 232-2777 or use our contact page.
Rules and registry wording can change. Everything above was checked on 9 October 2026 against DOH letters DHCBS 22-07 and 25-06, the DOH home health aide training FAQ, the Home Care Registry FAQ and help desk pages, and a public copy of 10 NYCRR 766.11. This is general information, not legal advice. For your own record, contact the Home Care Registry Help Desk.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee or form to renew an HHA certificate in New York?
No. DOH describes HHA certificates as having no expiration date, so there is nothing to renew by filing a form or paying a fee. The certificate stays valid while you work for a qualifying agency.
How long can I stop working before my HHA certificate lapses?
Twenty-four consecutive months without working for an Article 36 or Article 40 agency. DOH’s FAQ adds that if you leave agency work for private or out-of-state work, the certification lapses two years from your last agency job in New York.
Do I lose my certificate if I miss my 12 in-service hours?
Not according to DOH. Its letter says annual in-service requirements do not affect certificate status and are a condition of employment. Your employer can still treat missed hours as a job problem, so complete them.
Does a PCA certificate expire or lapse?
No. DOH states that personal care aide certificates do not have an expiration date and do not lapse for aides listed in the Home Care Registry.
My HHA certificate lapsed. Do I have to repeat the full 75-hour course?
Not necessarily. You may take a competency evaluation, which includes a written exam and a skills demonstration, through an approved HHA training program. If you do not pass it, you must complete the full training.
How do I look up my Home Care Registry number?
Search the public registry by name with at least two letters of your last name. If you cannot find yourself or the record looks wrong, call the Help Desk at 1-877-877-1827 or email hcreg@health.ny.gov.
Can I work as a PCA while my HHA certificate is lapsed?
If you are listed in the registry as dually certified, DOH says you may work under your PCA certificate while your HHA certificate is lapsed, provided the work stays within a PCA’s scope of practice.
