§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]