Department Compliance Process
Departments are required to engage in compliance activities at multiple points throughout the year .
The annual compliance cycle begins prior to the start of the new fiscal year , when Departments are required to send their language access liaisons to OCEIA ’ s mandatory LAO Compliance Training . This training provides an overview of updated language access policies , discusses Departments ’ obligations under the LAO , and maps out the steps that Departments must take to participate in the compliance process .
Departments are responsible for provisioning , budgeting and coordinating their language services , including interpretation and translation , to support their programs , services , and the vital information they
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convey to the public . OCEIA staff members are available throughout the year to provide guidance and tips , field questions from Departments about language access implementation , provide technical assistance , and develop tools and resources to support Departmental compliance . 10
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San Francisco Administrative Code , Sec . 91.14 .
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San Francisco Administrative Code , Sec . 91.16 .
Departments submit their selfreported annual compliance data through an online form , available by September 1 each year . Departments are asked to share information across multiple arenas relevant to language access .
This includes , for example :
Whether they have an existing language access policy ;
The number of bilingual staff employed by the Department ;
The number of bilingual staff certified by the Department of Human Resources ( DHR );
The number of translations completed during the fiscal year ;
The number of phone interpretations conducted during the fiscal year ;
The quality of language services and the quality control methods used ;
The total dollar amount the Department budgeted for language access ; and
The total number of in-language engagements with the public .
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