Get a HHA Certification in NY

Home Health Aide Certification

In order to provide Home Health Aide (HHA) services in the state of New York, a person must complete a HHA training program (HHATP) or competency evaluation program directed by a NYSED or NYSDOH-approved HHATP. The certificate of completion is issued by the approved school or program through the New York State Home Care Worker Registry.

HHA / HHATP Responsibilities & Requirements

HHA Expectations and Responsibilities

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A Home Health Aide is an unlicensed individual who has successfully completed a NYSDOH/NYSED-approved HHATP to become a certified aide and has been entered into the Home Care Worker Registry.
HHAs typically provide care under the supervision of a registered nurse or another healthcare professional. HHAs typically support older adults and individuals who may be recovering from illness, surgery or managing chronic conditions and require help completing certain daily tasks. HHAs often work in a patients home, hospice facility, or assisted living environments.
HHAs can perform clinical care duties, such as checking the patient’s blood pressure, but often help more with basic daily activities and routines, like bathing, dressing, and moving around the home. HHAs may be trained to assist in additional medical tasks like changing dressings, catheter care, and monitoring health conditions as directed by healthcare professionals.

HHATP Requirements

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Each school or training program is expected to create their own procedures for screening applicants. Under state guidelines, having a high school diploma or GED is NOT required to become a HHA and while a minimum age of 18 is recommended, 16 years of age is the requirement to enter a clinical setting. Programs are urged to select applicants based on factors such as sympathetic attitude toward the care of the sick, the ability to read, write and following directions, maturity, and the ability to deal effectively with the demands of the job. A list of resources regarding reading ability is available here.

A HHATP must provide students with a minimum of 75 hours of training between classroom instruction on theory and supervised practical training. As of August, 2021, 59 classroom hours and 16 hours of supervised training is required. Testing, competency evaluation, orientation and observations are not included in the required 75 hours of training. Programs are allowed 60 days from the day a student enters the program to complete the 75 hours. (Extenuating circumstances which may prevent a student from completing the required coursework within 60 days are looked at on a case by case basis.)

Curriculum breakdown:

Home Care – 40 Hours (All classroom)
Health Related Tasks – 35 Hours (19 hours of classroom training and 16 hours of supervised practical training)
At least 50% of the supervised practical training must be provided in a patient care setting.

Additional curriculum information can be found here:

Tuition and Fees

A home health aide training program approved by the New York State Department of Health may not charge tuition but may charge a fee up to $100. This fee covers materials the students are required to have and that they will retain when the complete or leave the program. Programs approved by the New York State Education Department are allowed to charge tuition.

Maintaining Home Health Aide Certification

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Individuals who have successfully completed an approved HHATP must be employed as a HHA in a 36 or 40 approved agency within any consecutive 24-month period following the receipt of initial certification to be considered qualified to continue providing HHA services. If there is a 24-month lapse in providing services for compensation, the individual must complete another program. If a HHA wants to re-employ after a 24-month lapse in employment, the HHA will be eligible to take the competency evaluation program in lieu of the standardized training program.