Medi-Cal Language Access Campaign
The struggles of limited English proficient seniors are all too familiar to the Korean American community. Over 17,076 people in Los Angeles county have stated that they would prefer to receive their Medi-Cal letters in Korean. Because of this high number, Korean has been identified as one of 7 threshold languages that must be provided service as mandated by the Civil Rights Act.
However, the needs of monolingual Korean American senior citizens are rarely met. Many seniors have been forced to go to community organizations like the Korean Resource Center, their adult day care center, senior apartment staff, friends and family members to understand the letters they receive from Medi-Cal because they are written in English.
All beneficiaries deserve the right to understand their public health benefits. Please sign this petition.
- Provide Medi-Cal Notices of Action in Korean or the client's preferred language.
- Provide oral interpretation services when a case worker who speaks Korean, or the language preferred, is not available.
- Provide culturally sensitive, non-discriminatory services in DPSS offices.
- Provide a system in which Korean American community members and organizations can monitor written notices to ensure that all documents are easy to understand and culturally appropriate.
