I'm reapplying for a state certified nursing assistance license in Massachusetts and need copies of w2s to prove employment in the years 1996-1998. No one seems to be able to help me.

Your federal or state tax return for those years should show income data.

There is no real copies of them unless you keep them.

If you get copies of your income tax, it will show you had earnings in a specific state for that year.

You can go back to where you used to work and ask them for copies and/or statement of wages earned for those dates.

This might not be what they want, but any Social Security office can print out your entire work histoy on one page, with one line for each year. It will just have the name of the employer and the total wages for each year. To my mind that should suffice. You have to go to SS in person.

I'm amazed that they would ask for employment history from 15 years ago. Rather than submit your W2's you may be able to get a letter from the HR department of your old employer verifying your employment history.

As for old tax records - you can get transcripts of your old tax returns for free, but I'm not sure if they go back that far. These would show the wages that you reported for each of those years. See:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/taxes/how-get-copy-old-tax-return-irs-318020.html