| I. PURPOSE
| | To establish the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) policy and guidelines for governing bilingual bonus payments consistent with the provisions of the Los Angeles County Code, Section 6.10.140.
| | II. DEFINITIONS
| | Bilingual Bonus: Compensation paid to certified bilingually proficient employees whose assignments require fluency in English and at least one foreign language, as well as knowledge of, and sensitivity toward, the culture and needs of the foreign-language group clientele which DMH serves. This bonus does not constitute "base rate" pay. American Sign Language is considered a foreign language for purposes of this bonus.
Translation: The conversion of a message from the source language text into an equivalent in the target-language text. - Source language: The language in which a message is originally given.
- Target-language: The language into which a message is to be translated or interpreted.
Interpretation: The conversion of an oral message from one language, the source language, into another oral language or sign language, the target-language.
| | III. POLICY
| | To qualify for the bilingual bonus, employees must meet all of the following eligibility conditions: - Hold permanent and full-time status; or hold a temporary or recurrent position.
- Possess a valid Language Proficiency Certificate issued as a result of the County's Bilingual Proficiency Examination, which tests for proficiency to either speak, read, and/or write the language.
- Be assigned to duties that require the use of the foreign language(s) on a continuing and frequent basis to meet the public service responsibility of DMH. Examples include:
- An employee who is assigned a caseload that requires the use of a second language.
- An employee whose assignment requires regular, ongoing contact with the public where the use of a second language is necessary. The employee also possesses and displays a knowledge of, and sensitivity toward, the culture and needs of the foreign-language group.
- Administrative and managerial positions do not routinely meet this condition since they are not considered public contact positions. However, in some situations, with the Deputy Director's written approval, an administrative or managerial position may be designated as one involving significant public contact in which bilingual skills are needed and would further the DMH public service responsibility.
- A bilingual examiner.
- An employee who is available for translation/interpretation services.
It is the responsibility of the Deputy Director or designee at the level of Program Manager to determine the skill required for the assignment and to ensure the employee is properly certified for the needed skill.
| | IV. PROCEDURES
| | | | V. AUTHORITIES
| Memoranda of Understanding between the County and Certified Bargaining Units
| | VI. ATTACHMENT
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