P-0185 - Orange County Government Limited English Proficiency Policy 12-11-2001

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Orange County Government • Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Policy (3) The importance of the service provided by the program -Departments should consider the importance of the activity, service, or program and whether the denial or delay of access to service or information will have serious implication for the LEP individuals; and (4) The resources available to the recipient -Department's level of resources can impact the nature of the steps it should take. Smaller departments with fewer resources are not required to provide the same level of resources as the larger departments. Smaller departments should combine their resources to provide meaningful access to LEP populations. 1. Language Assistance Principle Assisting LEP individual seeking direct County services or benefits, or where there is potential for the direct imposition of a burden onto the individual by the County: • LEP persons should be advised that they may choose either to secure the assistance of an interpreter of their own choosing, at their own expense, or a County interpreter provided by the relevant Department.3 Documentation that the service was offered and the LEP person's election should be documented in any written record generated with respect to the LEP person. (Achievable immediately. Current practice in • some critical service areas.) • Departments should take reasonable steps to ensure that the interpreter services provided are only through individuals who are competent to provide interpretive services at a level of fluency, comprehension, and confidentiality appropriate to the specific nature, type and purpose of information at issue. (Current practice) • Departments should include, take into account, needed language assistance measures, in addition to those specified in this plan, when changes occur in programs or services where a failure to do so may result in a denial of substantially equal and meaningfully effective services to a significant LEP population served by the County. (Achievable immediately.) • To the maximum extent practical, limited English proficiency shall not act as a barrier or otherwise limit access to vital information, i.e., information publicly available in English as to when, where, or how to access benefits or services from a Department. ' A LEP person may often look to a bilingual family member or friend or other person they are comfortable with for language assistance, there may also be situation in which a LEP person may want to rely on County-supplied interpretive services. (Some examples where use of an individual's own interpreter may be justified is when an individual has to reveal or describe information of a sensitive, confidential, or potentially embarrassing nature Similarly, instances where a Department's interest may justify the use of aCounty-supplied interpreter is where precise, complete or accurate translation or information is needed.)