Stellar Certification for Long-term Care

Email us if you want to be one of the first to apply for Stellar certification!

The Stellar Certification Program is currently in a pilot phase and will be available soon! In the meantime, you can review the application process.

To achieve Stellar certification, long-term care (LTC) homes must pass a rigorous review process. The certification period is four years, with interim feedback calls in years 2 and 3. Re-certification is available in year 4.

Application process

• Eligibility criteria: Before you begin, ensure that your LTC home passes the three eligibility criteria and is willing to self-report potential violations.
• Self-assessment: Complete the self-assessment to determine your LTC home’s suitability for certification. The self-assessment is completely for your benefit and does not need to be shared with the Stellar program.
• Fee payment: After the applicant pays the fee for Stellar certification, they will receive Pursuing Excellence in Long-term Care: Standards and Submission Requirements and have access to a workbook to collect evidence that will be submitted for evaluation.
• Workbook completion: The applicant has six months to complete the workbook and collect supporting documents for submission to the Stellar Certification Program. (Extensions are available, but late fees may apply.)
• Workbook submission: After the applicant has submitted the workbook and documents to the Stellar Certification Program, the applicant will receive confirmation within 5-10 business days that everything is in order and the evaluation will begin.
• Workbook evaluation: The Stellar Certification Program will complete its formal evaluation process. The evaluation will take one month.
• Survey: LTC homes that pass the workbook evaluation will enter the email survey phase.
• Adjudication committee review: The Stellar Certification Program will review all the collected evidence and the results of the survey to determine if the LTC home will be awarded Stellar certification. Three levels of certification are available.
• Stellar certification awarded: Congratulations! If your LTC home has achieved Stellar certification, you will receive national recognition and validation of your commitment to workplace excellence and mention in CNA social media