Interpreters Provided for Lawsuits


Families receiving state welfare services who do not speak English will be provided free interpreters as a result of a settlement in federal court. The Honorable James Rosenbaum approved a settlement agreement, Monday December 18 between plaintiffs who cannot speak or read Engligh and the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance represents the families who filed the suit a year ago when DHS terminated non-Engllish speaking families from welfare because they could not complete critical forms in English. The critical forms will also be translated in at least seven languages.
Neng yan and ChiXiong, a Hmong husband and wife, and Asha Ismail, a Somali mother , challenged DHS' English only policies as violating Titl VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Organizations which serve the immigrant communities in Minnesota also joined as plaintiffs:Catholic Charities and the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association of Hennepin County made up of five agencies. They are: Center for Asians and Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asian Community Council, Inc., Lao Assistance Center, Lao Parent Teacher's Association and Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women.
The plaintiffs asserted that Title VI forbids discrimination on the basis of national origin and prohibits English-only services to people who cannot read or speak English.
In the settelment, DHS agrees to provide free interpreters to persons who apply for or receive federally funded health and welfare services. DHS will also require county welfare offices to provide interpreters. Non-English speaking program recipients wil no longer be asked to bring a friend or family member to interpret.
Kathleen Tomlin, speaking for plaintiff Catholic Charities, praised the agreement, stating, "as a result of DHS' agreeing to provide interpreters for low-income families, Catholic Charities can focus on its resources on assisting immigrants with basic necessities. Families will get interpreters on welfare and health care questions from the counties. We will not have to divert our scarce program funds to pay for interpreters.
    The agreement also provides:
· 1 Critical health and welfare forms will be available soon in seven languages. The household report form, which welfare families use to report monthly income and the health care application will be available in Spanish, Somali, Russian, Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian. By spring, DHS will also translate these forms into Arabic.
· 2 DHS" telephone information lines from Minnesota Care are now available in seven languages because of this suit.
· 3 DHS and the plaintiffs will work together to establish a method to determine into what additional languages forms will be translated. When the population eligible for DHS" services reaches 750 people, DHS has agreed to translate documents.
    The full settlement agreement is available at www.mnlegalservices.org under the what's new section.