Guide · checked October 22, 2026
There is no national answer, because “expired” is three different machines. Sorted by how forgiving the machine is:
Connecticut (Route 4 – Lapsed Nurse Aide) lets a lapsed aide back by retesting, with retraining required only if the prior training can't be verified — schools there advertise it as “no matter how long it's been expired, just retake the test.” North Dakota runs Reactivation by Examination without a retraining tier behind it. Illinois never issues an expiry date at all; the way back from an inactive stretch is recertification testing whenever you come back (fail the written test three times, though, and a new training program is required before another attempt).
California: reactivation by exam while expired 2 years or less; past 2 years, the training program returns. South Carolina, Louisiana, and Arizona run variations of the same shape — a retest window measured in years from expiry, retraining behind it. Pennsylvania adds a twist: the clock that matters is two years since you completed training — lapse inside that and retesting alone re-lists you.
| State | Inside the first line | Past it |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Expired <1 year: retest both parts | ≥1 year: new 85-hour program + both exams |
| West Virginia | — | 2–4 years without reportable work: 16-hour refresher route exists |
| Kansas | Inactive <5 years: ~10-hour refresher or RN skills checklist, no exam | 5+ years: the full route back |
| Missouri | Inactive at a 2-year employment break | Expired at a 5-year break: retake the course (a “challenge” test route exists for defined groups) |
| Wisconsin | >24 months without qualifying work: retest restores federal eligibility | 5 years with no employment update: name removed; full program to return |
| Florida | Delinquent renewal tiers while work continued | 24 straight months without paid work: null and void — no retest window at all |
“How long has it been expired?” is only half the question. The other half is “which machine does my state run?” — the same 3-year gap is a $118 retest in Connecticut and a $1,000+ retraining in Georgia. The status checker asks both halves; your state page shows your machine in full.
