Maryland CNA renewal guide
Maryland CNA renewal: CNA-I and CNA-II redesignation, active-practice rule, and reminder checklist.
Maryland changed its CNA structure in 2026, redesignating credentials as CNA-I and CNA-II. Renewal remains tied to the individual certification record, and current guidance requires qualifying active CNA practice during the prior two years.
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Answer first
What to know now.
Maryland significantly changed nursing-assistant credential terminology in 2026. Effective in April 2026, the Board redesignated the former GNA pathway as CNA-I and the former CNA pathway as CNA-II. Current Board guidance says all CNA renewal applicants must have completed at least 16 hours of active CNA practice for compensation during the two years immediately preceding expiration; the consequence of not meeting that requirement differs between CNA-I and CNA-II. Maryland's current online information also says the certification renewal is tied to the 28th day of the holder's birth month and identifies certain 2026 expiration cohorts that require a background check. Because the redesignation and regulations are actively changing, this page has an intentionally short review interval.
Obligation
- Maryland CNA-I or CNA-II certification renewal
- Maryland Board of Nursing
Verified facts
Use the official source for the final check.
- 2026 redesignation: Maryland changed the former GNA/CNA structure to CNA-I and CNA-II in 2026, so older terminology can be misleading.
- Renewal cycle: Maryland Board materials describe CNA certification as a two-year credential after the first renewal, tied to the holder's birth-month expiration pattern.
- Active-practice requirement: Current CNA-I/CNA-II guidance requires 16 hours of active compensated CNA practice during the two years immediately preceding expiration.
- Different consequence by designation: Current Board guidance distinguishes CNA-I from CNA-II when the active-practice requirement is not met, so the holder should use the current designation-specific instructions.
- Current background-check cohorts: Maryland's current renewal page identifies selected 2026 expiration cohorts as requiring a criminal-history background check, which can extend processing time.
- Primary-source verification: The Board says its online license/certification lookup is the primary source for current CNA certification status.
Renewal workflow
Turn the requirement into a repeatable checklist.
- Step 1
Use Maryland's online verification system to confirm whether the worker is currently CNA-I or CNA-II and record the exact expiration date.
- Step 2
Verify that the worker meets the current 16-hour active-practice requirement and check whether the current expiration cohort has an added background-check requirement.
- Step 3
Start the renewal process early enough to allow for background-check and processing delays when they apply.
- Step 4
Complete the current Maryland Board of Nursing CNA renewal workflow and confirm that the renewed certification appears in the Board's online verification system.
- Step 5
Record the new expiration date and recheck Maryland's CNA rules before the next cycle because the 2026 redesignation remains a high-change area.
From one credential to a tracking system
One renewal question can reveal a much larger roster problem.
If you are responsible for several employees, contractors, or credentials, the hard part is often no longer finding one renewal rule. It is keeping every holder, authoritative date, reminder, completion, and renewed date visible without repeatedly scanning a spreadsheet.
Care-workforce rosters can be especially mixed: CNA or nurse-aide records, HHA/HCA/CHHA credentials, RN/LPN licenses, CPR/BLS, and other recurring requirements may all sit under one administrator.
Sources
Authoritative references used for this guide.
- Maryland Board of Nursing — Nursing Assistant Certification — official source
- Maryland Board of Nursing — Online CNA Certification Renewal — official source
- Maryland Board of Nursing — CNA Redesignation FAQ — official source
Stay ahead
Do not rely on memory for the next one.
Use Deadline Hawk to create an independent reminder sequence while the official authority remains the source of truth for the requirement itself.