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Three facts — your state, your certification date, your last paid shift — become the answer nobody sends you: still active, active with a deadline, or lapsed with your cheapest route back.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
Federal law (42 CFR 483.156) sets the spine: a registry must remove an aide who has not performed nursing-related services for pay for 24 consecutive months. Most states express that as a work rule — work at least a small number of paid hours (8 is the common number; Ohio wants 7.5 consecutive hours; Delaware wants 64; Vermont wants 400 — and Oregon dropped its 400-hour practice rule entirely on January 1, 2026) inside every 24 months.
What happens after the clock runs out is where states split hard:
Illinois: pass the tests again to recertify. Connecticut: Prometric's Route 4 retest, with no time cap. Idaho: a registry approval email, then a written retest.
California: reactivation by exam up to 2 years after expiry; past that, retrain. South Carolina and Louisiana run on the same 2-year shape.
Florida: 24 consecutive months without paid work and the certificate is null and void — you start over as a new applicant. Ohio: no retest-only route at all; undocumented lapse means retraining and retesting.
Washington doesn't run on the work clock alone: your credential renews every year on your birthday for $95, and missing the fee lapses you even while you're working.
Your verdict prints the rule, its source, and the date we checked it. Then confirm with your registry — the only official record.
