NCDHH - Interpreter Referral Procedure

Sign Language Interpreter Referral Service Policies and Procedure

Interpreters must have a current Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NCDHH) Sign Language Interpreter Referral Release Form signed and in their files before the NCDHH Sign Language Interpreter Referral Service can consider them for interpreting assignments. Interpreter Releases will be updated annually. The releases will be available to interpreters on or about January 15th of the current year. Interpreters will have until February 15th of the current year to return the signed releases to NCDHH. Those interpreters who do not have a current release in their files by February 15th will be removed from the Interpreter Directory and will be ineligible for interpreting assignments.

The NCDHH Sign Language Interpreter Referral Service Policies Procedures are as follows:

An NCDHH staff person receives a request for a sign language interpreter(s). All relevant information; i.e., time, date, location, the name(s) of the deaf individual(s) (if available), and the type of situation will be obtained from the contact person.
The NCDHH Staff Person will then contact the interpreter(s) listed in the NCDHH Interpreter Directory.

Interpreters are contacted in the following order:
1. The interpreter requested by the Deaf/HOH person(s)/agency will be contacted first.
2. Then to the most qualified interpreters on the list. The NCDHH staff will use the NCDHH Sign Language Interpreter Referral Service Calling Order, which lists interpreters in the order of certification/level rating. The order that interpreters are called within the grouping criteria will be automatically rotated by the computer system.
3. Local interpreters will be called first, then with approval of the paying entity, non-local interpreters will be contacted before the use of NCDHH staff interpreters. NCDHH staff interpreters will not accept an assignment when the denial of payment of mileage has occurred and there are non-local private practice interpreters available.
4. Knowledge of the interpreter’s work schedule, experience, strengths, weaknesses, and preferences of the interpreter, agency and the Deaf/HOH consumer also determines which interpreters will be contacted.
5. NCDHH staff interpreter will only be referred when no outside qualified interpreter is not available and the assignment cannot be postponed.
6. For after-hours and weekends, NCDHH staff interpreters will be listed in the order of their certification/level rating.
Upon initial contact, the interpreter will be given information regarding only date, start time, ending time, situation, and the assignment job number. Please remember this information is confidential.

In leaving voice mail/messages on the answering machines for interpreters, we will leave only the date, time of the assignment, and the assignment job number.
Faxing information will be permitted if confidentiality can be proven and maintained by the interpreter.
Email will be permitted if confidentiality can be proven and maintained by the interpreter.
Contact is to be made directly to the interpreter listed on the NCDHH Interpreter Directory. If an intermediary is involved i.e. secretary, spouse, etc. that situation will be individually evaluated. This would require approval by the NCDHH Director and an Agreement of Confidentiality would need to be signed and placed in the interpreter’s file.

An appropriate response time has been established for the interpreters to accept an assignment. If the interpreter does not respond within this time frame, the next grouping criteria of interpreters will be called. This portion is highly dependent on how soon the assignment needs to be filled.
If the interpreter initially does not accept the assignment, the NCDHH Staff Person will proceed to contact other interpreters until the assignment is filled.
Once an interpreter accepts an assignment, the NCDHH staff person will then give the interpreter further information including the contact person’s name, telephone number, and other available information.

The NCDHH staff person will confirm acceptance of an assignment with the contact person.
1. Once the NCDHH staff person confirms the interpreter, they will inform the contact person of the interpreter's name and reconfirm the date(s) and time(s) of assignment.
  1. Only the contact person and/or the Deaf/HOH client will be informed as to the name(s) of the interpreter, unless it is a known public event.
  2. The contact person will be given the assigned interpreter's contact number(s).
  3. The contact person will be informed that it is the assigned interpreter(s) responsibility to contact them with details regarding billing rates, cancellation policies, billing information, or other business related information.
2. It is the interpreter’s responsibility to call the contact person for any unmentioned details, wage negotiation, information on cancellation policy, billing information/procedures, or other business related information.
When an interpreter has accepted an assignment, it is his/her responsibility to inform NCDHH if they cannot honor the agreement. NCDHH will then assume responsibility for finding another interpreter. It is against NCDHH policy for an interpreter to reassign interpreting assignments received through NCDHH.
1. It is the interpreter’ responsibility when canceling an assignment to give NCDHH sufficient time to find a replacement interpreter.
If NCDHH, the Deaf/HOH client, the contact person, or the hiring agency/business finds that an interpreter has violated the NCDHH Sign Language Interpreter Referral Service Policies and Procedures or the Interpreter Code of Ethics to the detriment of the parties involved, the NCDHH Interpreter Program Coordinator will investigate the claim and a complaint will be filed if warranted.

It is our hope that this policy will help clarify roles, eliminate any breakdown in communication, and improve our Interpreter Referral Service. Failure to follow these policies/procedures may result in having your name removed from the Interpreter Directory.

If you should have any questions or concerns regarding these procedures, please feel free to contact our offices at (402) 595-3991 or (877) 248-7836 in Omaha and (402) 471-3593 or
(800) 545-6244 in Lincoln.

revised 5.7.07

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