Nursing home administrator license requirements in West Virginia.

Board

West Virginia Nursing Home Administrators Licensing Board Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

A bachelor's degree A baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university is required of every applicant, in addition to high school completion (21CSR1, Section 3.2.a.5-6). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

0 to 1,000 hours depending on your degree or experience

• 1,000 hours: The standard Administrator-in-Training program: 1,000 hours under the full-time supervision of a board-approved preceptor who has been a licensed West Virginia nursing home administrator for at least three years, with at least half the hours served between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (21CSR1, Section 4.3). The AIT permit itself costs $600.
• 1,000 hours: The Board may waive the formal AIT program for an applicant who completed at least 12 hours of health-care-management coursework within the baccalaureate curriculum and at least 1,000 hours of management experience in an inpatient health-care facility, which may include hours worked on an emergency permit (21CSR1, Section 3.3.a.1).
• 0 hours: The Board may waive the AIT program for a bachelor's-degree holder who worked in long-term care as an Assistant Administrator, Director of Nursing, or Social Services Director (or an equivalent role) for three years, with no additional internship hours required (21CSR1, Section 3.3.a.2).
• 0 hours: The Board may waive the AIT program for a bachelor's or higher degree from a NAB-accredited college program with internship, or an accredited program in health care administration, health services administration, or a similarly related field that includes an internship, since the internship is already satisfied (21CSR1, Section 3.3.a.3).

Board source · checked 2026-07-29

National NAB exams

Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) Applicants apply to test for the NAB National Examination through the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators; testing fees are paid directly to NAB and are not covered by the state application fee. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Separate state exam

Required West Virginia administers its own state examination monthly by appointment at the board office in Winfield, in addition to the national NAB exam; there is no fee for the first sitting and a $50 fee for each additional attempt, up to four total attempts within one year (21CSR1, Section 3.1). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$600 $600 license fee paid on application (21CSR1, Section 5.2.a), refunded minus board costs if the license is denied. The separate AIT permit, if needed, is also $600 (Section 4.3.a). Low-income individuals and active-duty military families may request a fee waiver. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$400 $400 annual renewal fee; the license runs through June 30 each year (21CSR1, Section 5.2.d). An inactive-status fee of $100 applies if a licensee temporarily stops practicing. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

20 hours per annual cycle 20 clock hours of continuing education are required annually, through board-approved programs or NAB's National Continuing Education Review Service. Emeritus-status administrators need only 10 hours annually (21CSR1, Section 4.2). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available At the Board's discretion, an individual licensed as a nursing home administrator in another state with substantially equivalent qualification and examination standards, who holds a current unrevoked and unsuspended license and passes an NPDB query, may be granted a West Virginia license by reciprocity for a $600 fee. Applicants holding current ACHCA certification (or other nationally recognized certification) have their applications acted on immediately (21CSR1, Section 7.1). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: W. Va. Code Chapter 30, Article 25; 21 CSR 1 (Nursing Home Administrators Licensing Board). Figures change on the board's own schedule. Confirm against the board before you apply or pay.

1. Get your checklist. The requirements wizard resolves West Virginia's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns West Virginia's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads West Virginia's endorsement rule.