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

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Orange County Government • Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Policy "Vital" includes but is not limited to: written notices of rights, denial, loss, or decreases in benefits and services; notices of disciplinary action; consent and complaint forms; intake forms; application for participation in department' program or activity; and notices advising LEP persons of free language assistance. • The term "vital" depends upon the importance of the program, service, information or encounter involved. Large documents may have both vital and non-vital information. Written translation of only vital information is required. An appropriate "rule of thumb" in determining vital information in a document that requires translation is: ^ A Department should provide written translation of vital documents for each eligible LEP language group that constitutes 5% or 1,000, whichever is less, of the persons eligible to be served or likely to be affected or encountered. Translation of other documents can be provided orally; ^ If there are fewer than 50 persons in a language group that reaches the 5% trigger, then departments do not have to translate vital materials but should provide written notice in the primary language of the LEP language group of their right to receive competent oral translation of the written materials, free of cost. • Please note: This applies only to the written translation of information in vital documents. • Electronic Information. Unless already in place, each Department that maintains a web page accessible to members of the general public should include information on the availability of language assistance through or by the Department. Where documents in languages other than English are placed on or accessible through the web page, information on their availability should be included in the appropriate languages on the web home page or other initial point of access. • Signage. Where Signage within apublicly-accessible building maintained or administered by a Department is provided in English, it will also be provided, at a minimum and as soon as reasonably practical, in the two most common non- English languages spoken in the County where, based on available data, more than 25% of the people within that language group speak English less than we11.5 Signage in fewer languages is warranted where current demographic data "Available data" includes but is not limited to language and demographic census information pertaining to Orange County.