DOH Clarifies Posting Requirements for Resident Rights Translations

The Department of Health (DOH) has clarified its expectations regarding the physical posting of translations of the Nursing Home Resident Rights in the 10 most commonly spoken non-English languages in New York State. According to a June 6, 2022 email from DOH staff to LeadingAge NY, nursing homes are not required to post all 10 translations of the Resident Rights. Nursing homes should, instead, post the Resident Rights statement in English and the translations in the languages spoken by their residents, to the extent that those languages are in the top 10 identified by DOH. Given the informal nature of the Department's clarification, facilities may also want to consider posting a document with a sentence in each of the 10 languages explaining where a copy of the applicable translation of the Resident Rights may be obtained.

In addition to posting the Resident Rights conspicuously in a public place, under previously enacted legislation, the Resident Rights must be provided to each resident "at or prior to the time of admission to the facility, or to the appointed personal representative at the time of appointment and to each member of the facility's staff." The English version and translations are available here. An article, along with links to the Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) and other resources, is available here.

Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8838