Key Points
- Illinois Belt Law lets assisted living and supportive living facilities host CNA clinicals.
- Senate Bill 3766, sponsored by Senator Christopher Belt, takes effect January 1.
- Chicago area CNAs earn the highest median annual wage at $46,050.
How Illinois' New Belt Law Opens Up CNA Clinical Training
Understand eligibility, new clinical sites, and faster certification paths for Illinois CNA students.
Illinois is changing where CNA students can complete clinical training, a structural shift that directly affects the path to certification. Senate Bill 3766, signed in 2026 and effective January 1, allows assisted living and supportive living facilities to host supervised clinical experiences for nursing assistant training programs.
The change targets a persistent bottleneck: limited clinical slots in nursing homes. For students, that converts a paperwork and placement delay into a faster route to the Illinois Nurse Aide Registry and a first job in long-term care.
What Is the Illinois Belt Law for CNA Training?
Illinois Senate Bill 3766, known as the Belt Law, changes where CNA students can complete the supervised clinical experience required for certification.1 Sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt, the law amends Illinois rules so approved nursing assistant training programs can place students in assisted living and supportive living facilities, not only in skilled nursing settings. The change matters because clinical availability is often the bottleneck in Illinois CNA training.
What the Belt Law allows
The law permits the supervised clinical portion of an approved CNA training program to be completed on site at an assisted living or supportive living establishment. The facility must demonstrate that it can meet IDPH clinical training and resident acuity requirements. For students who complete clinicals at a licensed skilled nursing or intermediate care facility, the law requires an affiliation agreement approved by IDPH. That structure preserves quality oversight while giving training programs more placement options.
Registry update and effective date
The Belt Law also requires IDPH to adopt rules so the Health Care Worker Registry identifies where an individual completed clinical training. That information can help employers verify the hands-on experience of a certified nursing assistant. The law takes effect January 1.
How the Belt Law Expands CNA Clinical Training Options
For years, CNA students in Illinois completed their supervised clinical hours almost exclusively inside skilled nursing facilities. The Belt Law changes that by formally allowing assisted living and supportive living communities to host those same clinical experiences.
From One Setting to Many
Previously, a limited number of nursing homes could approve clinical rotations. That created bottlenecks, especially for students in areas with fewer facilities. Now, assisted living and supportive living centers can offer clinical placements, giving students more nearby options and shorter waitlists.
Faster Path to Certification
More approved clinical sites mean programs can place students sooner. Instead of waiting for a slot in a nursing home, a student may complete hands-on training at a local assisted living community. For many learners, that translates to a quicker route from enrollment to the Illinois Nurse Aide Registry and to a starting CNA salary.
Building a Stronger Long-Term Care Pipeline
This expansion also strengthens Illinois' long-term care workforce. By training students in the settings where many will actually work, the law helps employers meet hiring needs and helps new CNAs feel prepared to get a CNA job. The result is a more flexible training system that supports both students and the facilities that need them.
Eligibility Requirements for CNA Students Under the New Law
The Belt Law may shorten your path to clinical hours, but it does not remove the safety and documentation requirements that come before you can step onto a facility floor.
Who Can Participate
You must be enrolled in an IDPH-approved CNA training program that has secured an assisted living or supportive living facility as a clinical site under the new law. Age requirements vary: some Illinois-area programs accept students at 16, while others require 18, and individual facilities may set higher hiring ages even if training starts earlier. A high school diploma or GED is commonly required, though some high school CNA programs allow students who are still completing their education.
Typical Prerequisites and Clearances
Plan to complete a criminal background check1 and fingerprinting2 before clinical participation. Many programs also require a TB test3, physical exam and current immunizations4, drug screening5, CPR6, and an information session or orientation. A Social Security number or similar government identifier is often needed for enrollment and the Illinois registry8. Clinical placement may be delayed until background clearance and health paperwork are complete.
Program and Facility Approval
Illinois has not published a separate assisted living clinical-site application checklist as of August 2026. In practice, the CNA program remains responsible for holding state approval and confirming the facility meets IDPH standards before students begin supervised clinicals. Confirm these details directly with your program.
How to Find Idph-Approved CNA Programs (And Understand the Registry Update)
Where can you find an IDPH-approved CNA program in Illinois, and how do you confirm it offers the assisted living clinical placements the new Belt Law allows?
Start with the IDPH program directory
Go to the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry program directory and select the CNA filter. You can also use the Illinois Nurse Aide Testing approved training programs list, which lets you search by ZIP code. Both are official state resources, not commercial lists.
Verify clinical site type directly
The public directory does not label each program's clinical site type, such as hospital, nursing facility, or assisted living. So after you confirm a program is approved, call or email the program and ask directly whether it places students in assisted living or supportive living facilities for clinical hours under the Belt Law.
What the registry update means
The new law requires the Health Care Worker Registry to include information identifying where an individual received clinical training. Once that update is implemented, the registry should make it easier to see whether a candidate trained in assisted living. As of now, not all registry search results display that detail, so direct confirmation is still the safest step. If you cannot verify a program's clinical site, call the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry at 844-789-3676 or verify CNA program accreditation online.
CNA Pay by Metro Area in Illinois
Pay for nursing assistants varies across Illinois metro areas. Among the metro areas shown, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has the highest median annual wage at $46,050 and also reports the largest employment base. The figures below reflect 2024 OEWS data for nursing assistants.
| Metro area | Employment | 25th percentile annual wage | Median annual wage | 75th percentile annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 42,800 | $39,780 | $46,050 | $48,720 |
| Peoria, IL | 3,320 | $37,530 | $39,660 | $47,790 |
| Rockford, IL | 1,790 | $37,850 | $38,960 | $44,470 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 1,480 | $38,100 | $43,720 | $44,950 |
| Springfield, IL | 1,250 | $38,880 | $41,080 | $44,910 |
| Bloomington, IL | 850 | $37,110 | $39,770 | $46,260 |
| Kankakee, IL | 680 | $35,990 | $37,350 | $46,130 |
| Decatur, IL | 550 | $37,950 | $40,800 | $47,000 |
Nursing assistants are a vital cog in our health care system. Expanding the workforce pipeline for Certified Nursing Assistants will not only reduce the time-to-hire for trainees...
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