Background
The 2025 Minnesota Legislature passed Minnesota Session Laws 2025, chapter 3, article 1, section 96 establishing a Spoken Language Health Care Interpreter Work Group.
What will the Spoken Language Health Care Interpreter Work Group do?
The work group will consist of 15 members. These members will meet one to two times per month from October 2025, through October 2026. The members will be tasked with compiling a list of recommendations to support and improve access to the critical health care interpreting services provided across the state, including but not limited to:
- Changing requirements for registered and certified interpreters to reflect changing needs of the Minnesota health care community and emerging national standards of training, competency, and testing.
- Addressing barriers for interpreters to gain access to the roster, including barriers for interpreters of languages other than common languages and interpreters in rural areas.
- Reimbursing spoken language health care interpreting.
- Identifying gaps in interpreter services in rural areas and recommending ways to address interpreter training and funding needs.
- Providing training, certification, and continuing education programs.
- Convening a meeting of public and private sector representatives of the spoken language health care interpreter community to identify ongoing sources of financial assistance to aid individual interpreters in meeting interpreter training and testing requirements for the registry.
- Conducting surveys of people receiving and providing interpreter services to understand changing needs and consumer quality of care.
- Suggesting changes in requirements and qualifications on telehealth or remote interpreting.
These recommendations will be provided to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health care interpreter services.
The recommendations may include draft language, and any statutory changes needed to implement the recommendations to improve and support access to health care interpreting services statewide.
Who can apply?
Individuals from:
- The Department of Health's spoken language health care interpreter roster.
- Limited English proficiency (LEP) community.
- A Health plan company.
- A Minnesota health system and not an interpreter.
- Interpreter agencies.
- The Department of Health.
- The Department of Human Services.
- An interpreter training program or postsecondary educational institution program providing interpreter courses or skills assessment.
- An affiliated Minnesota-based or Minnesota chapter of a national or international organization representing interpreters.
- The licensed health care provider community.
I am interested in being part of the Spoken Language Health Care Interpreter Work Group. What do I do?
If you are interested in applying to be a member of the work group, please fill out the Spoken Language Health Care Interpreter Work Group Application. Applications must be received by Aug. 6.
Applicants will be selected based on the criteria noted above and in statute, and not all applicants will be selected.
Contact information
For questions about the Spoken Language Health Care Interpreter Work Group, please contact Rick.Michals@state.mn.us or call 651-201-4200.