1. NALCAB Conference – Los Angeles September 24, 2009

2. LEP Initiatives Stakeholder Partnerships, Education & Communication: SPEC is the outreach and education function of Internal Revenue Service’s Wage and Investment Division. What is SPEC?

3. LEP Initiatives SPEC’s Business Model Awareness and Education Financial Education and Asset Building Tax Preparation Community- Based Coalitions

4. LEP Initiatives Limited-English Proficient (LEP) Hispanic Initiative: The goal of this initiative is to provide information in Spanish to increase communication, education and services to the LEP community.

5. LEP Hispanic Initiative The LEP Hispanic Initiative had four strategic goals: 1. Align SPEC service content delivery and resources with LEP Hispanic taxpayer and partner needs. 2. Enhance relationships with existing community coalitions and establish new partnerships to support LEP programs. 3. Increase the effectiveness of communication with the LEP Hispanic population. 4. Improve and expand education and awareness activities to influence behavior regarding voluntary tax compliance.

6. LEP Hispanic Initiative LEP Hispanic Initiative Accomplishments: ◦ Partner Convenings ◦ Internal Actions Piloted Initiative in 8 SPEC Territories Developed Communication & Awareness ◦ Memorandum of Understanding with Network of Latino Credit Union and Professionals

7. LEP Hispanic Initiative Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) ◦ 1,732 (14%) sites provided language assistance other than English ◦ 27 different languages were available ◦ 383,399 (14%) Federal Tax Returns identified as LEP ◦ 185,892 (49%) were identified Spanish as the language spoken at home.

8. LEP Hispanic Initiative SPEC Outreach and Education ◦ Volunteer Training and Support Tools Link and Learn Tax Wise Understanding Taxes Site Agreements and Publicity ◦ SPEC Products Life Cycle Products Tax Topics

9. LEP Asian Initiative Initial Team Meeting Held Actions Completed ◦ Developed a Strategic Plan ◦ Selected 6 pilot Territories Gather data Identify potential partners

10. LEP Initiative Questions Contact: ◦ Ricardo Soto ◦ W&I SPEC Territory Manager, El Paso ◦ 915-834-6510 ◦ Ricardo.Soto@irs.gov