What is Language Access?
Language access is the practice of ensuring that individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) or who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing can communicate effectively to participate in programs and receive services.
What does it mean to interpret? An interpreter is someone who converts an oral or signed message from one language to another. It is spoken or signed.
What does it mean to translate? A translator is someone who converts a written text to another language, in writing. It is written.
Interested in an interactive look at the most commonly requested and used languages for interpretation services in Wyoming in public health settings? Click to view our interactive data.
Wyoming State Language Access Network (WYNSLA)
The Wyoming State Language Access Network (WYNSLA) is a community of legal and healthcare professionals, law enforcement, interpreters, translators, service providers, advocates, and community members dedicated to ensuring Wyoming’s local and state agencies understand and comply with the language access provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This group is not part of, or affiliated with, the Wyoming Department of Health.
- Find an interpreter or translator. WDH programs or units using a WYNSLA interpreter must have a BAA in place before services are rendered.
- If you are seeking a court interpreter, or would like to become registered as one in Wyoming, please visit the State Supreme Court website.
Public Health Division Language Access Plan
The Wyoming Department of Health has a Language Access Plan, providing helpful information and guidance on language access for PHD programs. This plan is available as a downloadable PDF.
For questions or concerns, please contact Holly Scheer.
Interpreter Training Opportunities
Training Opportunities
- Office of Civil Rights and Language Access Series Presenter Bio, List of Acronyms
- Session I: Language Assistance Services (Recording, Slides)
- Session II: Civil Rights and Language Access Planning (Recording, Slides)
- Session III: Beyond LEP: Effectively Communicating with Individuals with Disabilities (Recording, Slides; Handouts – OCR’s Sample LEP Policy and Procedure; OCR’s Sample Auxiliary Aids and Services Policy)
- Wyoming Medicaid presents information for Interpreters on Medicaid reimbursement procedures and enrollment (Recording)
Interpretation Services Coverage
Medical interpreters can bill for services. Wyoming Department of Health, Wyoming Medicaid, and Wyoming Workforce Services provide reimbursement for interpretation services.
Learn more about how to enroll as a Medicaid provider and how to bill Worker’s Compensation for services.
In either case, you will first want to make sure you are a registered vendor with the State of Wyoming. You can learn more about how to register on the State Auditor’s website.
Medicaid Coverage
- Enroll as a provider if you haven’t already.
- Learn more about billing with the CMS 1500 Provider Billing Manual.
- If you have questions or need support enrolling as provider, contact the Provider Enrollment Customer Service Call Center 1-877-399-0121. Current hours of operation are 8 am – 5 pm MST.
Worker’s Compensation
- Use Claim Form WSCD-6N to bill for interpretation services and submit to dws-providerservices@wyo.gov by the 30th of each month for prior month services.
- Services are billable in 15-minute increments at the Medicaid rate.
Language Access Toolkit
This toolkit of resources is intended to support translators and interpreters.
- Limited English Proficiency – Federal Government Resources for Language Access Planning
- Think Culture Health – Working with Interpreters in Clinical Settings Tool
- Getting it Right – Guides to Buying Translation and Interpretation Services by the American Translators Association (ATA)
- Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services
- Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
- Wyoming Relay/Deaf Services Program at the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
- Health Literacy Resources
Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS) Standards
The National CLAS Standards are intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by establishing a blueprint for health and health care organizations. Culturally and linguistically appropriate services are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices, and needs of diverse patients. The enhanced Standards are a comprehensive series of guidelines that inform, guide and facilitate practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate health services. Additional resources are listed below.
- Introduction video
- Learn more about implementing CLAS Standards
- Enhanced standards fact sheet
- Enhanced standards blueprint
- Educational resources for heath and healthcare professionals
- CLAS Standards evaluation toolkit
- FREE Maternal Health Care E-Learning Program
- FREE E-Learning Program for Behavioral Health Professionals
Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook
- Emergency Multilingual Handbook – cover (PDF, 107K)
- Emergency Mutlicultural Phrasebook – introduction and contents (PDF, 181K)
- Emergency Multicultural Phrasebook – Albanian (PDF.29K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Amharic (PDF, 1382K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Arabic (PDF, 41K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Bengali (PDF, 885K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Bosnian-Bosanski (PDF, 30K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Chinese (PDF, 1222K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Czech (PDF, 33K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – English (PDF, 93K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Farsi (PDF, 42K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – French (PDF, 30K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – German (PDF, 30K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Greek (PDF, 35K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Gujarati (PDF, 794K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Hindi (PDF, 744K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Hungarian (PDF, 33K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Italian (PDF, 28K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Japanese (PDF, 365K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Korean (PDF, 860K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Kurdish (PDF, 42K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Lingala (PDF, 28K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Macedonian (PDF, 37K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Pashto (PDF, 803K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Polish (PDF, 29K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Portugese (PDF, 29K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Punjabi (PDF, 1176K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Romanian (PDF, 33K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Russian (PDF, 38K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Slovak (PDF, 32K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Somali (PDF, 29K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Spanish (PDF, 30K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Swahili (PDF, 29K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Tamil (PDF, 596K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Turkish (PDF, 33K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Ukranian (PDF, 37K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Urdu (PDF, 929K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Vietnamese (PDF, 37K)
- Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook – Welsh (PDF, 30K)