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jointly establish guidelines for identifying clients in the greatest need in their locality, with a focus on the populations identified in the OAA. These entities can then work together and use demographic information, such as census data, to target groups in the state and service area. Since information and assistance networks (I&Rs) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) often serve as the first-line of assistance to many older adults and caregivers, the data that these programs track and report can be useful in highlighting trends and emerging legal issues. These targeting guidelines can serve to inform the development of operational procedures to reach and serve the target populations. 2. Establish legal issue/case priorities Priority setting is the identification of specific types of life problems that are most critical to target groups in meeting basic needs, for example, income, shelter, nutrition, and health care. To avoid means testing, but to also successfully target the populations with the greatest needs, legal providers can prioritize these life challenges into the types of legal issues they will and will not handle. Legal resources are limited and by setting priorities, providers can maximize service for target groups and address the most serious needs. The eleven (11) broad case priorities in the OAA—income, health care, long-term care, nutrition, housing, utilities, protective services, defense of guardianship, abuse, neglect and age discrimination—are a helpful starting point for the priority setting process. Also, the conclusions from a state's "legal needs assessment"20 can help clarify the state and areas legal priorities. A finely honed set of priorities that reflect the most critical needs of targeted populations can provide a program with a fair and consistent way of accepting the most important cases and saying "no" without means testing. Priorities should be revisited as client needs change, and as laws and policies affecting the target populations change. Further, while priorities should guide intake decisions, they should not be used as rigid rules to turn clients away. A program should retain flexibility to accept compelling cases for the target client population, even if a particular case falls outside of the program's stated priorities. Important note regarding the role of IIIB providers in guardianship cases: When setting priorities, remember the OAA provides specific guidance on the role of IIIB legal providers in guardianship cases.21 The role is to defend an older person against guardianship or to terminate a guardianship. Only in limited circumstances can the Title IIIB provider represent an older person petitioning for guardianship. Under Title IIIB, the older adult is the client, and IIIB resources should not be used to represent an individual wishing to gain guardianship over an older person. 3. Provide legal services with cultural sensitivity and effective communication Once developed, the identified target groups and case priorities should drive and shape outreach to potential clients. All outreach efforts should be guided by the overriding principle that legal services are provided with cultural sensitivity and clear communication. Legal providers must have the capacity to communicate with individuals who have language barriers or other communication challenges.22 To achieve this, programs can develop a language access plan. A language access plan should include procedures for assessing language needs, identifying staff language capacity, using interpreters, training staff, translating client letters and legal documents, conducting outreach to limited English proficient clients, and continuing to evaluate language access policies and procedures.23 20 `Assessing Legal Needs of Older Persons: A General Primer" and "A Guide to Conducting a Legal Needs Survey" provide detailed guidance on conducting a legal needs assessment. See The Center for Social Gerontology, Best Practice Notes on Delivery of Legal Assistance to Older Persons, Vol. 14, Nos. 1 &2, March 2005. 21 42 U.S.C. 93030d(a)(6)(B)(2016). 22 Legal Services Corporation Guide to Language Access and Cultural Competency, available at: Isc.gov/grants-grantee-resources/ resources-topic-type/language-access-cul tui A -sensitivity, 23 Id. Issue Brief