51.5-113 - Statewide interpreter service. - Virginia Statutes

§ 51.5-113. Statewide interpreter service.

The Department is authorized to establish, maintain and coordinate astatewide service to provide courts, state and local legislative bodies andagencies, both public and private, and persons who are deaf orhard-of-hearing who request the same with qualified interpreters for personswho are deaf or hard-of-hearing out of such funds as may be appropriated tothe Department for these purposes.

Those courts and state and local agencies that have funds designated toemploy qualified interpreters shall pay for the actual cost of suchinterpreter. The Department is further authorized to establish and maintainlists of qualified interpreters for persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearingto be available to the courts, state and local legislative bodies andagencies, both public and private, and to persons who are deaf orhard-of-hearing.

The Department is authorized to charge a reasonable fee for theadministration of quality assurance screening of interpreters. Such feesshall be applied to the costs of administering the statewide interpreterservice.

For purposes of this section, a qualified interpreter shall be one who holdsat least one of the following credentials:

1. Certification from any national organization whose certification processhas been recognized by the Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing; or

2. A current screening level awarded by the Virginia Quality AssuranceScreening Program of the Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing; or

3. A screening level or recognized evaluation from any other state when (i)the credentials meet the minimum requirements of Virginia Quality AssuranceScreening and (ii) the credentials are valid and current in the state issued.

(1978, c. 603, § 63.1-85.4:1; 1984, c. 670; 1990, c. 192; 1992, c. 614; 2002,c. 747.)