ORS 411.965 Policy on program accessibility

The Legislative Assembly finds:

That many persons eligible for public assistance or medical assistance programs, especially those with the lowest incomes and the greatest need for assistance, are precluded from receiving benefits because of program inaccessibility;

That program inaccessibility stems from barriers that arise in learning of the availability of benefits, in applying for benefits and in maintaining eligibility once eligibility is established;

That a gap often exists between the reading and literacy skills possessed by potential applicants to programs and the skills demanded for completion of agency application forms and procedures. Most persons eligible for public assistance and medical assistance programs read at below the eighth-grade level and most public assistance and medical assistance forms require more than an eighth-grade reading level;

That simplifying program rules and rewriting forms and brochures to close the “literacy gap” would contribute to decreasing the program error rate and saving program costs; and

That the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority would better serve the people of the State of Oregon by making public assistance and medical assistance programs accessible to those low-income persons legally entitled to assistance.