HHA stands for Home Health Aide. They have received training from an accredited institute reviewing many of the skills required to safely care for an individual. CNA stands for Certified Nursing Aide. CNA’s receive training that review the skills necessary to safely care for an individual but are also state certified. The certification that Certified Nurses Aides have is a state certification and is important largely for state funded programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Privately HHA’s and CNA’s function interchangeably. Both HHA’s & CNA’s are referred to as caregivers.