Health, welfare, and social services.

§ 17.250 Health, welfare, and social services. This subpart applies to health, welfare, and other social service programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance and to recipients that operate, or that receive Federal financial assistance for the operation of such programs or activities. (a) General. In providing health, welfare, or other social services or benefits, a recipient may not, on the basis of handicap: (1) Deny a qualified handicapped person these benefits or services; (2) Afford a qualified handicapped person an opportunity to receive benefits or services that is not equal to that offered nonhandicapped persons; (3) Provide a qualified handicapped person with benefits or services that are not as effective, as defined in § 17.203(b), as the benefits or services provided to others; (4) Provide benefits or services in a manner that limits or has the effect of limiting the participation of qualified handicapped persons; or (5) Provide different or separate benefits or services to handicapped persons except where necessary to provide qualified handicapped persons with benefits and services that are as effective as those provided to others. (b) Notice. A recipient that provides notice concerning beneficiaries or services, or written material concerning waivers of rights or consent to treatment, shall take such steps as are necessary to insure that qualified handicapped persons, including those with impaired sensory or speaking skills, are not denied effective notice because of their handicap. (c) Emergency treatment for the hearing impaired. A recipient hospital that provides health services or benefits shall establish a procedure for effective communication with persons with impaired hearing for the purpose of providing emergency health care. (d) Auxiliary aids. (1) A recipient that employs fifteen or more persons shall provide appropriate auxiliary aids to persons with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, where necessary to afford such persons an equal opportunity to benefit from the service in question. (2) The Director may require recipients with fewer than fifteen employees to provide auxiliary aids where the provision of aids would not significantly impair the ability of the recipient to provide its benefits or services. (3) For the purpose of this paragraph, auxiliary aids may include brailled and taped material, interpreters, visual aids, and other aids for persons with impaired hearing or vision.