Language Access

LEP Policy and Expectations

It is the policy of Montgomery County Executive Branch that departments, agencies and programs take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to public services for persons with limited English proficiency (LEP). Any individual who is prevented from meaningful access to services because of his or her inability to read, write or understand the English language is deemed to be of limited English proficiency.  Click the links to read the LEP Policy statement (pdf) and the County Executive’s letter (pdf) to all County government employees on language access and the applicable federal and state laws (pdf) on language access.  

Annual Report on LEP Policies in FY2010 is now available

Department's Language Access Plan:
Each department or agency is expected to have a written Language Access Plan that helps a department implement its language access work to comply with the County’s LEP Policy and provide excellent customer service.  Key measures include a designated staff liaison, public communication about language accessibility, translation of vital documents, staff training, and evaluation and reporting of language access work.  Please contact your department liaison for your department’s Language Access Plan.

LEP Leadership Team:
Montgomery County’s language access work is centrally coordinated by the LEP Leadership Team, which is responsible for improving the County government’s policy and practices of language access work.  The Leadership Team is made of County government officials whose work and expertise are critical to the overall improvement and long-term success of the County’s language access work.

Department Liaisons are designated staff members responsible for their departments’ or programs’ compliance with the County’s LEP Policy to ensure quality services for all. Liaisons are responsible for communicating the language access expectations to their departments’ management and staff, develop and update language access plans, and evaluate and report the departments’ work.

Staff Training on Language Access is provided by the Department of Human Resources (HR) and accessible through HR online training registration system. There are two types of training related to language access.

1) The LEP Class is a 3-hour mandatory class for all frontline staff and those who may interact with LEP individuals.

2) The Community Interpreter Training is an all-day training program for certified bilingual employees on techniques and ethics of being an effective interpreter.