AIJIC To Meet With DWC In January 2016

AIJIC board members will meet with Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) officials in Oakland on 1/15/2016. Our lobbyist, Ed Howard, will also be present at this meeting.

Earlier this year, the DWC announced a proposed fee schedule for interpreters (click here for more info on the rates that the DWC is suggesting). AIJIC’s goal at the 1/15/2016 meeting is to convey to DWC officials that if a low fee schedule is implemented, it will result in a significant exodus of court interpreters from the Workers’ Comp system.

Our lobbyist continues to have meetings with officials in Sacramento with the purpose of conveying the consequences that substandard rates will cause.

The time to lobby is now — before it’s too late. But lobbying costs money. Please help us raise funds to keep paying for our lobbyist by becoming an AIJIC member (click here to join).

Even if you only work for civil and criminal cases or do conferences, an adverse fee schedule for Workers’ Comp would affect all of us. It would mean that many court interpreters will stop taking WC assignments and instead flock to other areas, thus saturating the market and driving ALL fees down. It’s the basic economic principle of supply and demand.

Do not be a passive bystander and watch our profession go down the drain. This fight requires everybody’s involvement.