You can have any kind of criminal record and become a CNA, nothing would stop you from taking the course. However, a state licensed long term care home cannot hire you if you have any of the prohibited offenses or if it has not been long enough for your record to be clear. It is however, possible for you to find employment as a private caregiver, or in a setting that is not under these regulations such as some home care companies, some private non Medicare/Medicaid homes and some clinics or hospitals, but the options are limited. There is no age restriction in taking the C.N.A course, however under the age of 16 options for employment are limited. If you have any questions about this information please let us know!

Requirements to be a CNA

Upon receiving an application for employment to be a direct caregiver, all facilities are required by law to perform a Criminal Background Check to ensure that each employee is legally able to provide care. There is a list of prohibited offenses provided by KDADS that each facility must follow.

So what does this mean?

If you have an offense in your history that is on that list, you will not be allowed to be employed in a facility for a certain period of time. Some offenses have lifetime bans while other offenses have bans for shorter periods of time. For short bans you will be eligible for hire at a facility at the end of the time period keep in mind that this time period is from the time you finish your sentence, not from the time you were charged.

Example: Felony theft offense in 2003, sentenced to 2 years in jail that ended in 2006; banned from employment until 2011

Also please be aware that just because a facility can legally hire you doesn’t mean that they will. Some facilities may choose to perform more extensive background checks and not hire for something not listed on the prohibited offenses.

Example: misdemeanor shoplifting while not on the prohibited offenses may bar your from employment at certain facilities depending on the facility policy.

What is on the list?

Murder
Assault
Battery
Robbery
Criminal Threats
Kidnapping
Involuntary Manslaughter while driving under the influence
Trafficking
Sexual abuse of a child
Felony Theft
Terrorism
Sexual battery
Abuse of a child
For a full list of offenses please click the button on the right.

What should I do about it when applying?

Be honest on your job application and during your interview – it is better to be up front about the information than for a facility to find it later in a background check
Offers of employment are often contingent on your background check – some facilities will let people work while the background check is pending only to have to terminate the employee when the background check comes back with offenses on it – this not only wastes your time but the facility's resources as well

Please ask your instructor if you have any questions.

Prohibited Offenses