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Start with the hard truth, because hope sold falsely is cruelty: a substantiated registry finding of abuse or misappropriation (taking a resident's property) is permanent. It cannot be removed, in any state, ever — and it follows you to every state, because facilities must check for findings before hiring. Anyone who charges you money promising to remove one is taking money under false pretenses.
There is exactly one narrow door in federal law, and it is only for neglect:
A state may remove a neglect finding from the registry if it determines that (1) the neglect was a single occurrence, and (2) your employment and personal history shows no pattern of abuse or neglect — and only on a petition filed at least 1 year after the finding was recorded. The state decides. Meeting the conditions makes you eligible to ask; it never guarantees removal.
These registries publish how the petition works. Presence here means the process is documented — it does not change who decides, and it is not an endorsement of any outcome.
| State | What the state publishes |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | Mass.gov: if you have ONE finding of neglect on the Registry and go the subsequent year without any incidents, you may petition the Department of Public Health in writing for removal of the neglect finding (Nurse Aide Registry, 67 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752; fax 617-753-8089). Findings of abuse or misappropriation can be removed only if you are found Not Guilty in a court of law of the conduct behind the finding. |
| Minnesota | Aides with a single occurrence of neglect and no pattern of abuse or criminal disqualification may petition to have the neglect finding removed from the registry under the federal removal procedure implemented by the Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC). Prior verified research notes OHFC proactively mails petition packets to eligible aides. |
| Mississippi | MSDH publishes a Petition for Removal of a Finding of Neglect: a nurse aide may petition through their TMU account at least one year after the date of the finding. Secondary guidance adds that supporting documents and employer references are required and only one neglect finding can be removed. |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Admin. Code 471 ch. 12 sec. 012 allows a nurse aide to petition the state survey and certification agency in writing to remove a finding of neglect if the neglect was a singular occurrence, the aide's history shows no pattern of abusive behavior or neglect, and more than one year has lapsed since the finding was added. The petition must include employment history, a signed release for employer references, a statement of why the finding should be removed, and education/rehabilitation completed. |
| New York | NYSDOH publishes a petition process to remove a finding of neglect from the Nurse Aide Registry: eligible if at least one year has passed since the finding was added, your employment and personal history show no pattern of abusive behavior, mistreatment or neglect, and the neglect was a singular occurrence without exacerbating features. The written petition (justification statement, rehabilitation/education list, and detailed post-finding work history on employer letterhead signed by supervisors) goes to NYSDOH Division of Legal Affairs, Bureau of Administrative Hearings, Corning Tower Room 2412, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237. |
| North Dakota | NDAC 33-07-06-10 gives a hearing/appeal process, and NDAC 33-07-06-11 allows an individual with a finding of neglect (placed after January 1, 1995) to petition in writing for removal after one year if the neglect was a single occurrence, there is no pattern of abusive behavior or neglect, and a background check shows no disqualifying history. Abuse and misappropriation findings remain permanently unless made in error, the person was found not guilty, or the department is notified of death. |
| Ohio | OAC 3701-64-05(F), implementing ORC 3721.23(D)(2): not earlier than one year after a finding of neglect, the individual may petition in the form and manner prescribed by the director to remove the neglect finding from the registry. This petition route applies to neglect only, not abuse or misappropriation. |
| Virginia | 18VAC90-25-81: if a finding of neglect was based on a single occurrence, you may petition for removal of the finding after at least 1 year has passed since the finding was made, meeting the regulation's employment and compliance conditions. Abuse and misappropriation findings cannot be removed this way. |
Every other state: no consumer-facing petition process was found in the state's published material when we checked (October 22, 2026). The federal door exists in the statute; how a given registry administers it is a question for that registry — ask in writing, and keep the answer.
Federal law bars Medicare/Medicaid facilities from employing a person with a substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation — in any state, not just the state that recorded it. That is why the neglect-petition door matters despite being narrow: for a one-time neglect finding, it is the only road back to facility work that exists.
This page is information about a legal process, not legal advice and not advocacy. The registry and the state hearing process decide every petition. This page is free and carries no product tie-in, on purpose: it exists because the information should be findable by the people who need it.
