1213 BIENNIAL LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN

1213.1 A covered entity with major public contact shall establish a biennial language access plan (“BLAP”) by regulation. Each BLAP shall be established in consultation with:

1. (a) The Language Access Director;
2. (b) The D.C. Language Access Coalition;
3. (c) The entity’s Language Access Coordinator;
4. (d) The entity’s Director; and
5. (e) Consultative agencies.

1213.2 Each BLAP shall be updated every two (2) fiscal years and shall set forth, at a minimum, the following:

1. (a) The types of oral language services that the entity will provide and how the determination was reached;
2. (b) The titles and types of each translated document that the entity will provide and how the determination was reached;
3. (c) The total number of public contact positions in the entity and the number of bilingual employees in public contact positions, including languages spoken;
4. (d) The number, position, and location of bilingual employees the entity plans to hire in public contact positions;
5. (e) An evaluation and assessment of the adequacy of services to be provided, including mechanisms used to assess adequacy;
6. (f) A description of the budgetary sources specifying the various resources and expenditures upon which the covered entity intends to implement its BLAP;
7. (g) A plan to conduct outreach to the District’s LEP/NEP communities served or likely to be served by the covered entity; and
8. (h) A plan to conduct cultural and linguistic competency trainings within the designated BLAP period to the entity’s staff who fill public contact positions.

1213.3 The LA Director shall meet with each LAC and respective agency director to review

agency plans prior to approval of the BLAP.

1213.4 BLAPs shall be completed by the covered entity with major public contact and approved by the LA Director upon completion of the baseline assessments.

1213.5 BLAPs shall be completed by the covered entity with major public contact, within a reasonable deadline established and approved by the LA Director. Failure to submit BLAPs in a timely manner shall be reported to the Director of OHR and shall be included in the Director’s annual report to the OCA. Failure to fulfill the criteria set forth by 1213.2 may also be reported to the Director OHR.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 55 DCR 6348 (June 6, 2008).