Limited English Proficiency
Individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English can be limited English proficient, or "LEP." These individuals may be entitled language assistance with respect to a particular type of service, benefit, or encounter.
LEP Resources
Please contact our office at:
(702) 922-6906 and advise staff
If you require Bi-lingual assistance.
Most individuals living in the United States read, write, speak, and understand English. There are many individuals, however, for whom English is not their primary language. The 2000 census shows that 26 million individuals speak Spanish and almost 7 million individuals speak an Asian or Pacific Island language at home. If these individuals have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English, they are limited English proficient, or “LEP.”
In a 2001 Supplementary Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, 33% of Spanish speakers and 22.4% of all Asian and Pacific Island language speakers aged 18–64 reported that they spoke English either “not well” or “not at all.”
Language for LEP individuals can be a barrier to accessing important benefits
or services, understanding and exercising important rights, complying with
applicable responsibilities or understanding other information provided by
federally funded programs and activities. The Federal Government funds an array
of services that can be made meaningfully accessible to otherwise eligible
LEP persons. The Federal Government is committed to improving the accessibility
of these programs and activities to eligible LEP persons, a goal that reinforces
its equally important commitment to promoting programs and activities designed
to help individuals learn English.
