The easiest free way
to become a CNA.

Eight ways, and most people qualify for at least one. A workforce voucher from your local board is the most common and exists in every county. A nursing home or hospital can sponsor you with no income test. The rest are state grants, public benefits such as SNAP and TANF, veteran and military funds, vocational rehabilitation, scholarships, and a school payment plan.

Usually. A voucher normally pays tuition, books, and the state exam fee directly to the school, so you pay nothing. Employer sponsorship covers tuition and fees and sometimes pays wages during training. Scholarships are smaller and rarely cover a seat on their own.

The payer, not this site. For a voucher that is a counselor at your local workforce board or its job center, who looks at age, work authorization, and either income, a layoff, or public assistance. We tell you who to contact and what to bring.

Days to six weeks for approval depending on the route, then four to eight weeks of class, then a few weeks for the state exam and the registry posting. Boards run out of money late in their program year, which starts each July, so earlier is easier.

For a voucher you can pick any program on the state’s Eligible Training Provider List, and counselors cannot steer you to one school. If the school you want is not listed, ask the school to apply. Many small CNA schools are eligible and have never filed.

Federal nursing home rules say an aide employed by a Medicare or Medicaid facility on the day training starts cannot be charged for the course, and an aide hired within twelve months of finishing must be reimbursed. That works even if you do not qualify for a voucher.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is the federal law behind workforce vouchers. It funds job training for adults, laid off workers, and young people who are out of school. The money goes to your state, which passes most of it to local workforce boards that pay schools on an approved list.