Nebraska gives you five ways into the license, and your degree and work history decide which one is yours. Most routes run through a 640-hour Administrator-in-Training (AIT) or mentoring program with a certified preceptor; one route needs no training at all.
| Who licenses | The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit, on the recommendation of the Board of Nursing Home Administration (Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2406, 38-2419(2)) |
|---|---|
| Routes to a license | Five, set by your degree and experience (38-2419(1)(a)); minimum age 19. See the routes below |
| AIT or mentoring | 640 hours over at least 4 months, at least 20 hours a week (38-2420; 172 NAC 106-006); none on the route for a health care degree plus 2 years of health care administration |
| National exams | NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service, both required (38-2419(1)(b); DHHS application); $480 for the combined application, paid to NAB |
| State exam | None. The only exams are NAB CORE plus the NHA Line of Service, with a scaled score of at least 113 (172 NAC 106-003.01) |
| Continuing education | 50 hours every 2 years; at most 25 by home study and at most 25 by academic credit (172 NAC 106-013) |
| License renewal | Every 2 years; licenses expire 31 December of even-numbered years, next on 31 December 2026 (172 NAC 106-012); $166 |
| Official sources | dhhs.ne.gov (DHHS Licensure Unit) · Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2401 to 38-2426 · 172 NAC 106 · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified against the sources above, September 2026. Requirements change; the current statute and rules, as DHHS applies them, govern, so confirm with the DHHS Licensure Unit before you apply.
Your license comes from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health, through its Licensure Unit. DHHS issues it “with the recommendation of the board” (Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2419(2)), and the board is the Board of Nursing Home Administration (38-2406), with nine members (38-2417). So the board reviews and recommends, and DHHS licenses.
The law is the Nursing Home Administrator Practice Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2401 to 38-2426. The rule is 172 NAC 106, last amended effective 21 September 2020; fees are in 172 NAC 2.
| Website | DHHS nursing home administrator page |
|---|---|
| Phone | (402) 471-2117 |
| DHHS.Licensure2117@nebraska.gov | |
| DHHS Licensure Unit, Attn: Nursing Home Admin., PO Box 94986, Lincoln, NE 68509-4986 | |
| License lookup | DHHS License Lookup |
Find the row that matches your education and experience. Every route that includes training uses the same 640-hour program length.
| Route | Education and experience | Training | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate degree | An associate degree that includes the core educational requirements | AIT, 640 hours | 38-2419(1)(a)(i) |
| Bachelor’s or higher | A baccalaureate, master’s or doctorate degree that includes studies in the core educational requirements | Mentoring, 640 hours. The DHHS application lets you choose the AIT instead | 38-2419(1)(a)(ii) |
| Nursing degree and experience | A degree in nursing plus 2 years of health care administration experience | Mentoring, 640 hours. The DHHS application lets you choose the AIT instead | 38-2419(1)(a)(iii) |
| Health care degree and experience | A bachelor’s or higher degree in health care, health care administration or services, plus 2 years of health care administration experience | None | 38-2419(1)(a)(iv) |
| Associate degree and experience | An associate degree with the core educational requirements plus 2 years of previous work experience | Mentoring, 640 hours. The DHHS application lets you choose the AIT instead | 38-2419(1)(a)(v) |
Both programs require “at least six hundred forty hours of training and experience” over “not less than four months” (38-2420(2)). The rule adds a pace of “not less than 20 hours per week”, and if you will train fewer than 40 hours a week you send DHHS a proposed schedule (172 NAC 106-006.03).
172 NAC 106-008.01 lists 12 areas your training must cover:
Certified preceptor is its own DHHS credential. Under 38-2420(4), 38-2407 and 172 NAC 106-010 and 011, your preceptor must:
Certification costs $25, and certificates “expire on December 31 of every fourth year beginning December 31, 2000” (38-2420(4)(b)). Preceptors earn NHA continuing education for the work: 8 hours for 1 trainee, 16 for 2 (172 NAC 106-013).
Other states: AIT Hours by State.
The free AIT Planner turns your 640 hours into a plan across facility departments. The department split is our planning aid, not a Nebraska rule; 172 NAC 106-008.01 lists the 12 areas your training must cover, so agree the plan with your preceptor. No account needed.
Open the free AIT PlannerNebraska requires both exams from NAB, the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (38-2419(1)(b)); the DHHS application asks for the “written examination (NHA and CORE)”.
| CORE | 125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest); 130 minutes to answer, within 150 minutes of seat time, per NAB’s candidate handbook (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| NHA Line of Service | 75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest); 70 minutes to answer, within 90 minutes of seat time, per NAB’s candidate handbook (September 2026) |
| Passing score | A “scaled score of at least 113 on the written examination” (172 NAC 106-003.01) |
| How to apply | Through NAB: “You MUST apply for the examination on the NAB website” (DHHS page). You schedule with Pearson VUE, and DHHS says “You will be given same-day results.” |
| Attempts | Up to 4 attempts at each of CORE and NHA per cycle (1 July to 30 June), from 1 January 2026 (NAB) |
| Fee | $480 for the CORE and NHA combined application, paid to NAB, from 1 February 2026 |
More in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.
No state exam. Nebraska has no state exam and no jurisprudence exam. The statute (38-2419) and 172 NAC 106 name only the NAB exam, the DHHS page lists no other, and NAB’s Nebraska page says “State: No”.
The NAB exams are national. Once you run a Nebraska nursing home, you answer to Nebraska statutes and DHHS rules, including 175 NAC 12, the nursing facility licensure rule, and to 42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B, if the home is certified for Medicare or Medicaid; Subpart B binds only certified homes. Three differences that matter on the job, each with the Nebraska section:
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | Nebraska rule | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many facilities one administrator runs | “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)); Part 483 sets no limit on how many facilities one administrator may run | One licensed facility or one integrated system. With DHHS approval, up to 3 licensed facilities within 2 hours’ travel time of each other, or the dual role of administrator and department head, but never administrator and director of nursing. The rule adds a cap of 200 beds in all and 150 miles between the two facilities farthest apart | Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2419(3); 172 NAC 106-005 |
| Director of nursing | Sufficient nursing staff, with licensed nurses on a 24-hour basis (483.35(a)); a registered nurse “for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week” (483.35(b)(1)) and a full-time RN director of nursing (483.35(b)(2)), each except when waived under 483.35(e) or (f). CMS’s 2024 minimum staffing standards, which were never enforced, were repealed by an interim final rule published 3 December 2025 and effective 2 February 2026 (90 FR 55687) | By statute, the Director of Nursing Services “shall be a licensed registered nurse, and this requirement shall not be waived” | Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6018.01(1); 71-6018.02(1) |
| Reporting suspected abuse | The facility reports alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation or mistreatment, including injuries of unknown source, “immediately, but not later than 2 hours” if it involves abuse or serious bodily injury, and within 24 hours otherwise, to the administrator and to officials including the State Survey Agency (483.12(c)(1)). Each covered individual also reports a reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident to the State Agency and one or more law enforcement entities, within 2 hours if there is serious bodily injury, otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(b)(5); section 1150B of the Social Security Act) | Under the Adult Protective Services Act, owners, operators and employees of a DHHS-licensed facility who have reasonable cause to believe a vulnerable adult has been abused, neglected or exploited must report it “to the appropriate law enforcement agency or to the department”, with a written report within 48 hours if DHHS asks for one | Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-372 |
Nebraska: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2419(3), 28-372, 71-6018.01 and 71-6018.02 (official text); 172 NAC 106-005 (2020 official text). DHHS lists 175 NAC 12 as amended 29 May 2024. Federal: 42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B, in the eCFR. In a certified home you meet both reporting rules.
From 172 NAC 2 (effective 15 September 2020), unless the row names another source:
| Nursing home administrator license, initial | $166 |
|---|---|
| Initial license issued July to December of an even-numbered year | $41.50 (DHHS application, April 2020) |
| License renewal, every 2 years | $166 |
| AIT or mentoring application | $50 |
| Certified preceptor, initial | $25 |
| Provisional license | $110 |
| Reinstatement | $201 (DHHS reinstatement form, 2022) |
| Preliminary conviction review | $100 per license type (DHHS page) |
| NAB exams, CORE and NHA combined application | $480, paid to NAB (from 1 February 2026) |
Practicing on a license that is not active can bring an administrative penalty of “$10 per day up to $1,000” (DHHS reinstatement form). Since 1 January 2020 DHHS has offered initial license fee waivers for applicants aged 18 to 25, for military families (“active duty service members, military spouses, honorably discharged veterans”) and for low-income applicants as defined in 38-117.01.
You need “50 hours of acceptable continuing education hours during the 24-month period” before each renewal, counting 60 minutes as 1 hour (172 NAC 106-013).
Nursing home administrator licenses “expire December 31 of each even-numbered year” (172 NAC 106-012), so the next expiration is 31 December 2026. DHHS sends a renewal notice at least 30 days before (38-142(2)). Renewal is $166, and active-duty military members are exempt from the renewal fee (38-142(1)).
Reciprocity. DHHS “may issue” a license to an applicant who is at least 19 and “holds a current nursing home administrator license from another jurisdiction” (38-2421). The DHHS application says the education, experience, training and exam “Requirements do NOT apply if applying based on reciprocity”. Nebraska’s universal recognition law, 38-129.02, does not list the Nursing Home Administrator Practice Act, so administrators come in under 38-2421.
Military spouses. A temporary credential is valid until DHHS decides the regular application, “not to exceed one year” (38-129.01(4)). Under 38-129.01(3), as amended by LB834 in 2024, a military spouse “shall not be required to pay any fees” for the temporary credential or the first regular credential, apart from the cost of fingerprinting. An undated DHHS military spouse sheet still lists “The fees required for the application”; the statute governs.
Provisional license. DHHS can issue a provisional license “to maintain the daily operations of the facility” for up to 180 calendar days, and it cannot be renewed (38-2423(1)). You must be at least 21, employed full time (40 or more hours a week) as the administrator, and have no disciplinary history (38-2423(3)). The owner or governing body signs an affidavit giving the reason, such as the death of the prior administrator, a medical emergency or a resignation (172 NAC 106-009; DHHS form). A 90-day extension is possible only if you are in a mentoring program (38-2423(1)), and “A person in a mentoring program may serve as the provisional licensee” (172 NAC 106-009). The fee is $110.
Head injury facilities. A separate administrator license, with no exam, covers facilities “operated primarily for caring for persons with head injuries” (38-2426; 172 NAC 106-004).
You set up your own training: a certified preceptor, a Nebraska-licensed nursing home, and the AIT/Mentoring application to DHHS.
DHHS. The nursing home administrator page posts the AIT/Mentoring application, the change of status form, the monthly training report form and the preceptor application, and links the License Lookup.
Your degree program. An AIT can be an internship within an approved associate degree, and mentoring an internship within a degree program (38-2420(1)). Southeast Community College offers an online Long Term Care Administration A.A.S. (64 credits) and certificate (21 credits), which, per the college, was developed to meet educational requirements for licensure; the college does not describe its practical experiences as an AIT.
Preceptor training. 172 NAC 106-011 accepts NAB’s online preceptor course, for which NAB lists a $15 fee for the four modules. The Nebraska Health Care Association now lists an on-demand Nursing Facility Administrator Preceptor Training; ask DHHS whether a course other than NAB’s meets 172 NAC 106-011 before you rely on it.
Associations. The Nebraska Health Care Association (NHCA) runs NHCA Online Learning. LeadingAge Nebraska reports to the board at its meetings. Both are trade associations, not licensing sources.
For approaching facilities and preceptors step by step, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program.
The legal sources for nursing home administrator licensure in Nebraska, and the facility rules cited above. Nebraska has no state exam, but these are the rules you train and work under.
Citations verified against official sources and the labeled mirrors, September 2026. Provided for reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.
640 hours over at least 4 months, at 20 or more hours a week, whether you do an AIT or a mentoring program (Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2420; 172 NAC 106-006). If you hold a bachelor’s or higher degree in health care and have 2 years of health care administration experience, you need neither program (38-2419(1)(a)(iv)).
The statute names the AIT for the associate degree route (i), and mentoring for the bachelor’s, nursing degree and associate-plus-experience routes. The DHHS AIT/Mentoring application lets those mentoring-route applicants choose the AIT instead. Both are 640 hours; a mentoring preceptor need not be on site and meets you at least once a month.
No. You need the NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service exams, with a scaled score of at least 113 (172 NAC 106-003.01). You apply through NAB, and you may test any time after DHHS notifies you of your registration as a trainee (38-2422).
50 hours every 2 years, with at most 25 by home study and at most 25 by academic credit (172 NAC 106-013). Licenses expire 31 December of even-numbered years. The DHHS page says up to 25 extra hours may carry over; 172 NAC 106-013 has no carryover provision.
You arrange the training yourself with a certified preceptor in a Nebraska-licensed nursing home, then apply to DHHS on the AIT/Mentoring application ($50). An AIT can also be an internship within an approved associate degree, and mentoring an internship within a degree program (38-2420(1)).
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