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GAO-09-752R 1 (2009-07-30)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaanoz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: im Am,GA 0 T N IAccountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 July 30, 2009 The Honorable Nydia M. Veldzquez Chairwoman Committee on Small Business House of Representatives Subject: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: CMS Should Develop an Agencywide Policy for Translating Medicare Documents into Languages Other Than English Dear Chairwoman Veldzquez: The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal agency responsible for administering the Medicare program for nearly 45 million beneficiaries, including beneficiaries with limited English proficiency (LEP)-meaning they may not be proficient or are limited in their ability to communicate in the English language. Medicare beneficiaries face a complex set of health care choices that require them to obtain information about the comparative benefits, costs, and quality of available options. CMS is responsible for providing clear, accurate, and timely information about this program and making the information accessible to beneficiaries. Under section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, entities that receive federal financial assistance are prohibited from discriminating against or otherwise excluding individuals from their programs or activities on the basis of race, color, or national origin.' In 1964, as directed under section 602 of Title VI, HHS first published regulations applying these prohibitions to entities receiving federal financial assistance from HHS, including health care organizations.2 In 2000, Executive Order 13166 was published, requiring federal agencies to take certain steps to clarify Title VI requirements. Specifically, this order required federal agencies to publish guidance addressing how their recipients of federal financial assistance can 'Pub. L. No. 88-352, Tit. VI, § 601, 78 Stat. 241, 252 (1964) (codified, as amended, at 42 U.S.C. § 2000d). In this report, we refer to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, as Title VI. 2The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the predecessor of HHS, published these regulations. See Non-Discrimination in Federally-Assisted Programs of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 29 Fed. Reg. 16,298- 16,305 (Dec. 4, 1964) (codified, as amended, at 45 C.F.R. Part 80). 3Executive Order 13166, Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, 65 Fed. Reg. 50,121-22 (Aug. 16, 2000). GAO-09-752R CMS Language Access Policy

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