§457A-1 Findings and purpose. (a) The legislature recognizes that 42 United States Code sections 1395i-3 and 1396r require nurse aides working in nursing facilities participating in medicare and medicaid programs to be certified.
(b) The legislature also recognizes that nurse aides who work in state-licensed or state-certified health care settings should be certified for the purpose of consumer safety and held to similar standards of competency and evaluation appropriate for these settings. This chapter implements 42 United States Code sections 1395i-3 and 1396r with respect to:
(1) Establishing the State's regulatory scheme for certifying nurse aides;
(2) Defining the scope of regulation;
(3) Establishing standards for certification and biennial recertification; and
(4) Establishing an interagency agreement between the state agencies responsible for various aspects of the program. [L 1990, c 271, pt of §1; am L 1994, c 185, §3(1); am L 2007, c 226, §5]