Louisiana Nursing Home Administrator License Requirements

How to become a licensed nursing home administrator in Louisiana: who can apply, the Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program, the NAB exams and the Board’s state exam, fees, continuing education and renewal, with section numbers.

nhaexamprep.com · updated September 2026

Louisiana at a glance

Who licenses	The Louisiana Board of Examiners of Nursing Facility Administrators (LABENFA), within the Louisiana Department of Health (La. R.S. 37:2503)
Who can apply	Age 21 or older, with a bachelor’s degree or 10 years as a licensed nursing facility administrator, and a criminal background check (LAC 46:XLIX.503)
AIT requirement	6 months full time and at least 1,040 hours, in seven set department rotations, in a Louisiana Medicare or Medicaid nursing home (LAC 46:XLIX.701)
National exams	NAB Core of Knowledge (CORE) and NHA Line of Service, after a required Board review seminar (LAC 46:XLIX.511)
State exam	Required: the Louisiana state standards examination, given by the Board at its Baton Rouge office, $120, and $150 per retake (LAC 46:XLIX.511, .1201) Details ↓
Continuing education	18 hours a year, at most 9 of them online (LAC 46:XLIX.903)
Renewal	Every year by 30 June; $495 on the Board’s fee schedule (labenfa.org; LAC 46:XLIX.1103)
Official sources	labenfa.org (the Board) · LAC 46:XLIX (official Word file) · La. R.S. 37:2501 to 37:2511 (Justia mirror) · nabweb.org (national exams)

Verified September 2026. LAC is the Louisiana Administrative Code and R.S. the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Rule text is quoted from the Justia copies (LAC current through the June 2025 Louisiana Register); the Division of Administration lists LAC 46:XLIX as last amended in April 2026, so check the Board’s current rules on any detail you rely on. Fees are from the Board’s website.

Who licenses Louisiana administrators

The license comes from the Louisiana Board of Examiners of Nursing Facility Administrators (LABENFA), which the statute creates “within the Louisiana Department of Health” (La. R.S. 37:2503). Its office is at 5647 Superior Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70816-6049, phone (225) 295-8571, and its website is labenfa.org.

The law is La. R.S. 37:2501 to 37:2511, and the Board’s rules are LAC Title 46, Part XLIX. Nursing homes themselves are licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) under its nursing facility standards in LAC Title 48, Part I.

Who can apply

LAC 46:XLIX.503 sets the conditions before you may sit for the exams:

• Age. “The applicant is 21 years of age or older.”
• Citizenship. “a citizen of the United States of America or a non-citizen who lawfully resides in the United States”. The Board’s application page still lists “US citizen”.
• Education, two routes. A bachelor’s degree “from an accredited institute of higher learning”, or at least 10 years as a licensed nursing facility administrator in Louisiana or a jurisdiction with substantially similar requirements. The Board’s application page lists “Bachelor’s degree or higher”.
• Background and fitness. Fingerprints for state and national criminal history checks (R.S. 37:2505.1), taken at the Louisiana State Police in Baton Rouge at your expense, and a finding that you are “physically and mentally suitable and fit to be licensed.”

How the application goes

1. Order the $100 application packet, which includes LDH’s “State of Louisiana Minimum Standards for Nursing Homes” and LAC 46:XLIX.
2. Send the notarized application, a photo, two reference letters, sealed transcripts, the Test Attestation and Code of Ethics forms and the $600 fee, more than 10 days before a Board meeting.
3. Secure your own facility and preceptor, the “sole responsibility of the applicant”, on AIT agreement form BE-4D.
4. Take the review seminar, the NAB exams and the state exam, and serve the AIT, which “may be completed or begun before or after taking examinations”. An exit interview (§709) comes last.

Two clocks. You must begin the six-month AIT within one year of passing the exams, or lose “all accomplishments and fees” (§711.A), and “complete the licensure process within 24 months from the date of application” (§711.B, §511.C.4). The Board’s website counts the 24 months “from approval date of the completed application.”

The AIT requirement in Louisiana

Louisiana sets its Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program in both months and hours. You serve “full-time (40 hours per week)” for at least six months, with “a minimum of 1040 training hours” (LAC 46:XLIX.701.A), in a nursing home “certified and participating in Medicare and/or Medicaid” with no current threat-level deficiency when training begins (§701.B).

The rule sets seven rotations, served in full and in turn (§701.C, D):

Department	Weeks	Hours
Administration	9	360
Nursing	5	200
Dietary	4	160
Resident Activity	2	80
Social Work	2	80
Medical Records	2	80
Environmental Management	2	80
Total	26	1,040

• Order and schedule. Your preceptor sets the order and may lengthen any rotation. You serve at least once on every shift in departments that use shifts, and at least two weekends; most training falls in the 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. work week (§701.C, D).
• Limits. Other employment during the AIT needs the Board’s prior approval, and you may not serve as director of nursing or head of any other department (§701.A).
• Reports. After a Board orientation, you file an initial report under oath, a departmental report at the end of each rotation and a Certificate of Completion under oath (§705).
• Finishing. Within 30 days each: the notarized completion certificate, the exit interview booking and the initial registration (§1101.A).

Who can be your preceptor

Your preceptor is the facility’s administrator of record, or a licensed administrator serving there as assistant administrator, who gives “close, direct, personal, on-site supervision” (§701). Under §703:

• Experience and training. A licensed administrator with three years of full-time experience as a practicing administrator or licensed assistant administrator, approved by the Board after its orientation and training.
• Time on site. At least 20 hours a week on site, and available by phone at other times.
• Caseload. At most two AITs at once, or one if the preceptor administers more than one facility.
• Duties. Monthly evaluations, and written notice and Board approval before ending an AIT; a change of preceptor needs prior approval. Board-approved preceptor training every three years counts as CE.

Waivers

Waiver requests are accepted only with the application (§713.A).

• By degree (full waiver). “a Bachelor or Masters degree in health care administration or a Bachelor or Masters degree with a concentration in eldercare studies which includes a clinical internship”, the internship finished within 24 months after 48 credit hours. You still pass the national and state exams and the exit interview.
• By experience (full or partial). Considered “only after the AIT has passed both the state and NAB tests”, for an assistant administrator or director of nurses with three years full time within the last five in a Louisiana Medicare/Medicaid nursing home, or a former Louisiana administrator whose license has not lapsed for more than three years. Experience in a home outside Medicare and Medicaid earns no full waiver.

Other states: AIT Hours by State.

The exams you must pass

Louisiana requires both NAB exams: the Core of Knowledge (CORE) and the NHA Line of Service. Once the Board approves you, you schedule through nabweb.org and test with Pearson VUE. The figures are from NAB’s Candidate Handbook (September 2026):

Core of Knowledge	125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest), 150 minutes in all, 130 of them for answering questions
NHA Line of Service	75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest), 90 minutes in all, 70 of them for answering questions
Passing score	A scaled score of 113 on each
Fee	$480 for CORE and NHA applied for together, from 1 February 2026, paid to NAB. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190
NAB attempts	Since 1 January 2026, up to 4 attempts at each exam per cycle (1 July to 30 June)

The Board’s review seminar comes first

“Each candidate shall be required to take a test preparatory course approved by LABENFA prior to taking the NAB” exam, and a candidate who fails must “retake an approved LABENFA test preparatory course” before testing again (§511.C.1, .3). The Board’s website adds that you take it “within 60 days prior to taking the NAB” exams and that seminars are “scheduled quarterly”; the 60 days are not in the rule text. The Board’s CE page listed a “NAB Test Prep Class” on 4 and 5 August 2026.

More in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.

The Louisiana state exam

Louisiana’s state exam is the Louisiana state standards examination: every candidate “shall pass the Louisiana state standards examination and the NAB national examination by scores established by the board” (LAC 46:XLIX.511.A). The statute requires the licensing exams to test “proficiency in federal and state laws” (La. R.S. 37:2505.A). Reciprocity applicants take it too (R.S. 37:2508), and so do holders of NAB’s Health Services Executive (HSE) qualification: “The state regulatory exam is still required” (NAB’s Louisiana page).

Who gives it	The Board, in its Baton Rouge office: “State Exams are scheduled through and taken in our office.” It is not a NAB, PSI or Pearson VUE exam; NAB’s Louisiana page lists “State Exam Administration: State”
Fee	$120; each retake is “an additional $150.00” (Board website; §1201 lists a “State Exam Retake Fee” of $150)
Format and passing score	The Board does not publish the exam’s format, number of questions, time limit, passing score or a retake limit; the rule says only “by scores established by the board”. Ask the Board office, (225) 295-8571
Confidentiality	You sign a Test Attestation; discussing either exam’s content “may result in disciplinary action by the board” (§511.B)

What the state exam draws from

The Board does not publish a content outline or study list. What the sources do say: the statute asks for proficiency in federal and state laws; §509 lists subject areas for the licensing exams in general, among them the laws, rules, regulations and guidelines affecting long-term care; and the $100 application packet includes copies of LDH’s Minimum Standards for Nursing Homes and LAC 46:XLIX. More in State NHA Exams Explained.

Where the Louisiana rules differ from the federal rules

Four places where Louisiana sets a different number, or adds a requirement, compared with 42 CFR Part 483. All four come from LDH’s nursing facility standards (LAC 48:I) and Louisiana statutes:

Topic	Federal rule (42 CFR 483)	Louisiana rule	Section
The administrator	The administrator must be “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)); Part 483 sets no weekly hours	“Each nursing facility shall have a full time administrator”, licensed by the Board. No one may be full-time administrator of more than two facilities; one who runs two spends 20 hours a week at each, and “The response time to either nursing facility shall be no longer than one hour”	LAC 48:I.9755
Nurse staffing levels	Sufficient nursing staff, including licensed nurses, on a 24-hour basis (483.35(a)), with no hours-per-resident-day minimum; a registered nurse “for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week”, and a registered nurse as full-time director of nursing, unless waived (483.35(b)(1), (2)). CMS repealed the 2024 minimum staffing standards, which were never enforced, by interim final rule published 3 December 2025 (90 FR 55687, effective 2 February 2026)	“At a minimum, the nursing facility shall provide 2.35 hours of care per patient per day”, and in multistory buildings each floor housing residents is “a separate nursing unit and separately staffed”. Round-the-clock licensed nurses and a full-time registered nurse as director of nursing are required under both, waivers aside	LAC 48:I.9823
Reporting abuse	Alleged violations reported “immediately, but not later than 2 hours” if they involve abuse or result in serious bodily injury, otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(c)(1)); investigation results within 5 working days (483.12(c)(4))	Anyone engaged in “facility administration”, and nurses, aides and other direct caregivers, who know of abuse, neglect or exploitation must, “within twenty-four hours, submit a report to the department or inform the unit or local law enforcement agency”. Knowingly or willfully failing to report: a fine of up to $500, up to two months in jail, or both. R.S. 15:1504 also makes “Any person” a mandatory reporter of adult abuse. A certified home must still meet the federal 2-hour clock	R.S. 40:2009.20(B); 15:1504
Dementia training	Nurse aides get “no less than 12 hours per year” of in-service training, including dementia management and abuse prevention (483.95(g)); Part 483 sets no hours for dementia training	Set hours of dementia-specific training: in Alzheimer’s special care units, 8 hours within 90 days of employment and 5 a year for nursing staff; outside the unit, 4 and 2 for nursing assistants; in both, 4 and 1 for other staff with regular contact. Nurse aides get at least 12 hours of training a year, as under the federal rule	LAC 48:I.9765

The federal nursing home rules (42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B) apply only to facilities certified for Medicare or Medicaid, so a certified Louisiana home must meet both sets of rules. Louisiana text from the Justia copies (June 2025; LAC 48:I was amended August 2026); federal text as of September 2026.

Figures worth knowing, with their conditions

• LAC 48:I.9755When the administrator is absent, runs two homes or changes: a full-time employee “functioning in an administrative capacity” must be authorized in writing to act for the administrator; a change of administrator goes to LDH’s Health Standards Section (HSS) in writing within 30 calendar days
• La. R.S. 37:2501A home without a licensed administrator: a “provider representative”, approved by the Louisiana Department of Health, runs it “on a temporary basis”
• LAC 48:I.9767Sheltering in place in an emergency: notice to the local emergency preparedness office (OEP) and LDH “within one hour”, and to families “at least within 12 hours”; if the home has a shelter-in-place generator, fuel delivery agreements to run it at full load for “168 hours for a single emergent event”
• 42 CFR 483.12(b)(5); Social Security Act section 1150BReporting a crime in a federally funded facility, a separate federal duty: each covered individual (owner, operator, employee, manager, agent or contractor) reports a reasonable suspicion of a crime to the State Agency and at least one local law enforcement entity, within 2 hours if there is serious bodily injury, otherwise within 24 hours

Where to find an AIT program or preceptor in Louisiana

Start with the Board. Finding a facility and a preceptor for your AIT program is your job, and the Board approves both and trains every preceptor (§703). The Board does not publish a list of approved preceptors, so call the office at (225) 295-8571. Its CE page listed a Preceptor Seminar on 29 September 2026 (6 CE hours) at the Board office; ask the office about the next one.

Associations. The Louisiana Nursing Home Association (LNHA) and LeadingAge Southeast are both linked from the Board’s website and are a way to meet administrators who might precept. LEADER, also linked by the Board, is an eldercare education group, not an AIT program.

For the full step-by-step on approaching facilities and preceptors, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program.

What the license costs

The Board’s fee schedule, which says “fees subject to change upon Board approval”, and the Justia copy of its fee rule (LAC 46:XLIX.1201, current through June 2025) agree on every amount below except registration. The Board’s website and NAB’s Louisiana page list $495 for the initial and annual registration. The official rule text lists $395 for initial registration and $495 for annual registration; the Justia copy lists $395 for both. The 2025 statute text caps annual registration at $700 and initial registration at $400 (R.S. 37:2504); the Board’s published initial fee of $495 is above that cap. Pay what the Board’s schedule shows.

Fee	Board website	Rule 1201
Application packet	$100	$100
Application fee	$600	$600
State exam; each retake	$120; $150	$120; $150
Initial registration (the license)	$495	$395
Annual re-registration, active or inactive	$495	$495
Reciprocity to Louisiana; to another state	$125; $50	$125; $50

NAB exam fees are paid to NAB, and fingerprinting is at your expense.

Continuing education and renewal

You need “a minimum of 18 hours of approved continuing education” in “the 12-month period preceding the date of re-registration” (LAC 46:XLIX.903.A).

• Online courses. “A maximum of 9 hours of approved online continuing education may be credited” (§903.A.1).
• Topics. Content fits the §509 subject areas, and “No less than 50 percent of a licensee’s total continuing education hours must be in subjects applicable to long-term care” (§907.A.2).
• Approved courses. From a Board-approved provider (§905) or approved by NAB’s NCERS.
• Carryover and exemptions. The rule counts only the 12 months before re-registration and has no carryover provision. Inactive and conditional licensees need no CE (§1103.B.2).

Renewal. The Board’s application page says “All administrator licenses expire June 30th, annually”, and its home page says an unrenewed license goes into suspension. You re-register each year with the fee ($495) and your CE certificates (§1103.A, B). A re-registration postmarked after 30 June costs $250 more (fee schedule), and a licensee who does not comply “shall be suspended by the board and the license shall automatically lapse” (§1103.D).

Inactive and conditional status. Both still re-register every year. Conditional status ($210) is for licensees 65 or older who do not run a facility, or who do not run one in Louisiana and hold an active license in another state. Going back to active practice takes “60 days of on-site re-orientation under supervision of a board-approved preceptor”, unless you have been practicing in another state and meet Louisiana’s CE (§1103.B.2).

Licensed elsewhere, temporary licenses and military

Reciprocity. R.S. 37:2508 asks for a license from a state whose standards were “substantially equivalent” when it was issued, and that you have “passed the Louisiana State Standards Examination.” Under §1107 you hold a current license in good standing and either met Louisiana’s standards when first licensed “or has been licensed for at least five years and has practiced as a licensed administrator for at least three years”; ACHCA certification can show equivalency, and one year of full-time practice as an administrator “may be considered” in place of an AIT. Under the Board’s reciprocity procedure you pay $600, $125 and $495 and get a provisional letter once approved; the final license follows the state exam and background check.

Temporary license. “A temporary license for a period not to exceed three months may be issued to a fully qualified reciprocity applicant”, and the Board “may grant an extension up to 90 days” while background checks finish (§1107.C).

Military. La. R.S. 37:3651 lets members of the military, including United States Department of Defense civilian employees assigned to duty in Louisiana, and their spouses and dependents, where the member or civilian has orders to Louisiana or has made Louisiana their legal residence, and who have held a comparable license in another state “for at least one year” get a license by endorsement, with a temporary permit while the application is pending and a written decision “within thirty calendar days.”

The rules behind the Louisiana license

The laws, rules and other sources cited on this page.

• Licensing statuteLa. R.S. 37:2501 to 37:2511: Nursing Facility Administrators · R.S. 37:2503 (the Board) · R.S. 37:2508 (reciprocity) (Justia mirrors)
• Board rulesLAC Title 46, Part XLIX (official Word file, Division of Administration) · §503 eligibility · §511 exams · Chapter 7 AIT (Justia mirrors)
• Board pagesBoard home · Application procedure · Fee schedule · Reciprocity procedure · CE opportunities
• Nursing home rules and statutesLAC 48:I.9755 (administration) · LAC 48:I.9823 (nursing staff) · LAC 48:I.9765 (training) · LAC 48:I.9767 (emergencies) · R.S. 40:2009.20 · R.S. 15:1504 (Justia mirrors)
• National examsNAB Candidate Handbook (rev. September 2026) · NAB exam information · NAB Louisiana summary
• Federal rule42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B (eCFR) · 90 FR 55687 (Federal Register, staffing repeal) · Social Security Act section 1150B (ssa.gov)

Citations verified September 2026. The official LAC 46:XLIX file is a Word document on the Division of Administration site; the Justia links are labeled mirrors. For reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.

Common questions