Health Facilities

New Jersey requires all new nurse aide candidates, new personal care assistant candidates, and nurse aides applying for recertification or reciprocity, and homemaker/home health aides to undergo a Criminal Background Investigation (CBI) by the New Jersey State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

There is no charge for processing the CBI application or fingerprint form.

If you are a new nurse aide/personal care assistant candidate or a reciprocity applicant, you must complete a CBI application and schedule a fingerprint appointment. The application is available from your training program instructor.

If you are a reciprocity applicant, the CBI forms will arrive with your reciprocity application packet. If you are an applicant for admission through a waiver process, you will receive the required forms from the Department of Health after your request for a waiver is received. 

Read the CBI Application carefully. You must answer all questions completely and truthfully. If you falsely answer any question, State law requires that you be disqualified from certification. You may also be subject to a fine.

After you have completed the application, and it is signed and notorized, mail a cop to:

CIU/NJDOH
PO Box 359 
Trenton , NJ 08625-0359

Allow at least 12 weeks for your CBI to be processed.

Nurse aides and personal care assistants are required to update their criminal background check each time a certification is renewed. There is no need to complete a new CBI application or be fingerprinted. You will receive notice about updating your CBI information about four months before your certificate expires.

The Department of Health receives reports of convictions which occur after your background check. If you are convicted of a disqualifying offense after we issue your certificate, we are required by law to revoke your certificate until you are able to produce clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation. The law requires that we take this action regardless of where the offense was committed.

New and reciprocal candidates for nurse aide and personal care assistant must complete the screening questions shown on the CBI application. If you answered “Yes” to any of the four questions, you must provide evidence that demonstrates why you should not be disqualified from certification. Materials must be mailed along with your CBI application.