Applicable Provider Types: All - Is Your Entity in Compliance? Recent regulatory language makes clear that most healthcare providers must provide free translators or interpreters for patients with limited English...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the Secretary (collectively, HHS) released the agencies' Final Rule governing the implementation of Section 1557 of...more
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination in healthcare based on a number of characteristics including race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability. On April 26, 2024, the Department of Health...more
During a keynote speech at a conference at Seattle University School of Law in early March, Rachel Rossi, director of the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice, proclaimed that “Access to justice means language...more
Throughout the past few years, the CFPB has sought input from a range of stakeholders, including community-based organizations and financial institutions, for feedback about how it can improve consumer financial products and...more
On November 15, 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its updated Language Access Plan (Updated Plan) to further ensure that the limited English proficiency (LEP) community and individuals with...more
On November 15, the CFPB issued a report, titled “The CFPB Language Access Plan for consumers with limited English proficiency,” on expanding consumer needs in the financial marketplace for individuals with limited English...more
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released an update to its federal agency language access plan today, in accordance with Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons...more
On May 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its first Language Access Annual Progress Report (the Report) reflecting on its advancements since the 2022 HHS Equity Action Plan (Equity Plan)...more
The U.S. government entered into two recent settlements with healthcare providers who allegedly denied deaf and hearing-impaired patients or their caregivers auxiliary aids for effective communication. These settlements...more
The national and administrative focus on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities keeps fair servicing in the foreground as a top priority for mortgage servicers. In this webinar, you’ll hear from a...more
On February 14, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) published a blog discussing improvements made to its services with the goal of providing the same experience to consumers with limited English...more
As the industry continues to evolve, access to healthcare remains a key challenge. For certain segments of the population, access to healthcare is not equitable. We will examine how the ADA and state disability and...more
As online digital health services continue to enjoy broader use and appeal, federal regulators are concerned some telemedicine online patient-user interfaces fail to accommodate persons with disabilities and limited English...more
On August 4, 2022, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM or proposed rule) to reinterpret section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits...more
How to provide financial services to limited-English proficiency (“LEP”) consumers has become a pressing legal issue. Both federal and state laws provide requirements and limitations regarding translations of financial...more
In recent months, regulatory bodies throughout the federal government have focused on ways to promote greater access to financial products and services to limited English proficiency (LEP) consumers. Take for example the...more
Over the past year, our focus as a country and around the world has made a seismic shift toward equality, diversity, and inclusion. In some ways, the financial services industry (at least big banks) had already moved...more
ISBE has adopted new rules to support parent participation in IEP meetings by requiring districts to arrange for and fund “qualified interpreters” for parents whose native language is other than English. We have heard concern...more
A&B ABstract: On January 13, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a Statement encouraging financial institutions to expand access to financial products and services for consumers with limited...more
Approximately 22 percent of U.S. residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home. Of those persons, approximately 37.6 percent have limited English proficiency (LEP), meaning they have a limited...more
As we recently reported, the CFPB released new guidance on January 13, 2021, in an effort to give industry participants more concrete guidance about how to tackle the sometimes-daunting issue of serving customers in...more
Last year, the CFPB issued a notice and request for information on the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B. Specifically, the CFPB sought “comments and information to identify opportunities to prevent credit...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau or CFPB) on January 13 issued a Statement Regarding the Provision of Financial Products and Services to Consumers with Limited English Proficiency (Statement) ...more