Promoting Access with a Language Services Assistance Symbol

The Office of Minority Health announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 300u-6 (Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act) for demonstration projects that support and evaluate the use of a universal symbol to inform people about the availability of language assistance services in health settings. Demonstration projects are time-limited projects for the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of an approach or intervention toward reaching a desired outcome. We expect award recipients under this opportunity to consider approaches to sustainability beyond the end of the support provided by OMH. This initiative aligns with Make America Healthy Again Commission goals, and supports Executive Order 14224 by improving access to healthcare for new Americans with limited English proficiency, as well as individuals with communication disabilities. Individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and people with disabilities face barriers to health care and social services that increase their risk for poor health outcomes. Language assistance services are all oral, written, and signed language services needed to assist effective communication for individuals with LEP and people with disabilities. This initiative aligns with Make America Healthy Again Commission goals, and supports Executive Order 14224 by improving access to healthcare for new Americans with limited English proficiency, as well as individuals with communication disabilities. During Fiscal Year 2024, OMH is developing a universal symbol that will indicate the availability of language assistance services. We intend for funded projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of the universal symbol in raising awareness and prompting individuals to request language assistance services in health settings. OMH also expects funded projects to demonstrate progress towards health care communication related Healthy People 2030 objectives. Related information can be found at https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/health-communication#:~:text=Developmental-,Health%20Care,-Increase%20the%20proportion. Eligible applicants include any private nonprofit or public entity located in a State. “State” includes, in addition to the several States, only the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and any agency or instrumentality thereof exclusive of local governments. (42 U.S.C. § 201(f) (PHS Act, Section 2(f)), 45 C.F.R. § 75.2). Eligible entities include private nonprofit or public faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations. Recipients must not restrict participation in the project on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or another protected characteristic. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov, and applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration when submitting an application. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to begin the registration process for both systems early. We typically fund awards in 12-month budget periods. We may approve shorter budget periods or periods of performance to accommodate administrative factors or funding constraints. For multi-year projects, recipients must submit a non-competing continuation (NCC) application for each budget period after the first. Continuation funding is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, appropriate stewardship of federal funds, and the best interests of the government. Funding for all approved budget periods after the first is generally the same as the initial award amount subject to any offset with funds unused in the previous budget period.