Survey: Language Services in State/County/Local Health-Related Benefit Offices

With the support of The Commonwealth Fund, the National Health Law Program is seeking to identify “promising practices” for providing language services (including oral interpretation and written translations) in state, county and local health benefit eligibility offices such as Medicaid/SCHIP eligibility offices, outstations, etc. We will be writing a report for The Commonwealth Fund for publication in 2006.

Please help us identify ways to assist limited English proficient (LEP) individuals as they enroll in and access health care. For example, one “promising practice” highlighted in our earlier report, Providing Language Interpretation Services in Health Care Settings: Examples from the Field, profiled Hennepin County Minnesota’s Office of Multi-Cultural Services, which coordinated existing services across departments and shares bilingual and interpretive resources. Office staff assists LEP applicants with form completion, connection to resources, social services, health and child care issues, and can accompany clients to medical appointments.

We would appreciate your responses, if possible, by February 18th, 2005. If you have any questions, please contact Mara Youdelman at youdelman@healthlaw.org or 202-289-7661. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Click to download survey for advocates
Click to download survey for agency staff