Certificates issued by entities other than Washington State DSHS will be considered on a case by case basis. Please consult WAC 388-03-114 for related information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to DSHS Facilities, Finance and Analytics Administration's Frequently Asked Questions! Below you may search by topics such as information for bidders and question about our Language Testing and Certification Program, and Background Checks.
- According to the state constitution, the state cannot pay for a service until the service is complete.
- Invoice vouchers are mailed for the provider to receive just before the end of the month.
- On a high volume day, as many as 30,000 paper invoices are returned by mail. Clerical delays may occur because of the large number of pages received.
- Quicker payment processing occurs when providers use Invoice Express to validate their invoice by telephone.
- Invoices are processed immediately after the end of the month of service.
- Some payments are delayed because messages are attached to or written on the invoice. Invoices with messages are set aside and read as soon as possible, delaying payment.
Payment to a provider is considered timely if made within 30 days of the receipt of a properly completed invoice, plus mail time, according to RCW 39.76.010. SSPS makes it a top priority to not only pay faster than required, but to pay as fast as is technically and legally possible.
Direct deposit takes the guesswork out of address changes and other complications of postal delivery. Direct deposit may or may not be quicker than postal delivery, depending on the provider's geographical location and the speed of mail delivery.
Example: For the year 2013, June 3rd is the first business day of the month, and the first business day when SSPS payment for May services will be issued. Payment for services processed on June 3rd will not reach the U.S. mail for distribution for two business days (possibly three), because Consolidated Mail Service is used to achieve significant postal discounts. This means the U.S. Postal Service will begin mailing payments on June 5th, the third business day of the month.
The language certifications/authorizations issued based on DSHS Language Testing and Certification Program (LTC)-administered tests are:
1. Social Service Interpreter – Certified
2. Social Service Interpreter – Authorized
3. Document Translator – Certified
4. Medical Interpreter – Certified *
5. Medical Interpreter – Authorized *
* Renewals only. No new credentials will be issued because LTC no longer administers the medical interpreter tests.
6. Medical Interpreter – Recognized **
** Credential is issued based on test score reports of passed written and oral medical interpreter tests provided or accepted as evidence of proficiency in a language other than English (LOTE) by an approved third-party testing entity listed on the Language Testing and Certification Program | DSHS website.
Since test dates and time slots are extremely limited, you would want to keep your test appointment if at all possible. To reschedule, you need to email (dshsct@dshs.wa.gov) or call (360-664-6111) our office within ten (10) calendar days from the date you created your test appointment. It is your responsibility to follow through with your request within the ten-day (10) time frame. Any oral or written request after the 10-day time frame will not be honored. If more than 10 days have passed since you created your test, then we will need documentation for the emergency situation that is preventing you from attending your test as scheduled. If more than 10 days have passed, and no documentation can be provided, then you will have to pay another test fee to reschedule your test.
Please contact the Office for the Deaf and Hard Hearing in the Department of Social and Health Services for information about becoming an ASL interpreter. Their contact information can also be found in the Government Pages in the phone book.
If you are providing social services that will be paid through SSPS, those services must be based on an agreement with a social service staff person. Until an SSPS authorization is written and submitted to the computer system by that staff person there is no mechanism by which to pay you. Social service staff have a regular and supplemental deadline each month that they must meet in order for you to receive the invoice needed for payment validation.
Please visit the LTC website’s Test Information page for more details on medical interpreter test requirements.
- Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
LTC accepts written and oral tests that CCHI administers (for Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin) or recognizes as evidence of proficiency in a language other than English (LOTE).
Please register for the test(s) directly with CCHI. For more information, please visit their website Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI).
- The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI)
LTC accepts written and oral tests that NBCMI administers (for Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese) or recognizes as evidence of proficiency in a language other than English (LOTE).
Please register for the test(s) directly with NBCMI. For more information, please visit their website The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI).
- ALTA Language Services (available in Screened Languages – please see list on the LTC Test Information page)
- Not available for Certified Languages: Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese
Candidates must pass all three ALTA Language Services tests below to apply for a DSHS Medical Interpreter-Recognized credential:
- English Reading Test (Passing score: ILR 3 / ALTA 9, or above)
- English Interpretation Code of Ethics-Medical Test (Passing score: Qualified)
- Consecutive Medical Interpreter Test with passing score of ALTA Level 10 – Advanced Plus, or above.
Please email LTC at dshsct@dshs.wa.gov for test registration and provide full name, Gateway Candidate ID Number, email address, phone number, language, and a copy of official photo ID.
When you schedule your own test online, confirmation is instantaneous. An appointment confirmation letter and appointment reminder letter will be sent to your email address. If you do not receive a confirmation letter within a few minutes of registering for a test, check your junk mail. If you cannot find the email there, please email our office.
Please contact the Office of the Administrator for the Courts for information about becoming a court certified interpreter. Their contact information can also be found in the Government Pages in the phone book.
State holidays are not considered "business days." There is not daily processing, no payments created, and the SSPS headquarters office is closed.
The first step for new candidates is to create a profile in the LTC Gateway database system before they schedule a test with LTC or apply for a DSHS credential with a third-party test score.
To apply for a DSHS Social Service Interpreter and/or Document Translator credential(s), candidates must pass the required written and oral tests administered by LTC and complete the free orientation trainings in Gateway.
To apply for a DSHS Medical Interpreter-Recognized credential, new candidates and medical interpreters with an expired DSHS credential should test with one of the third-party testing entities listed on the LTC website’s Test Information page. Formal score reports of written and oral medical interpreter tests you have passed must be submitted to LTC at dshsct@dshs.wa.gov within two years of test date.
New candidates need to complete the free medical interpreter orientation trainings in Gateway before submitting a request for the credential.
Please save or print the email confirmation letter for your reference. If you did not receive your confirmation email within a few minutes of registering for you test, check your junk mail. If you cannot find it there, please email our office.
As a DSHS applicant or client, you qualify based simply on your need to communicate effectively regarding DSHS services.
According to the state constitution, payment cannot be made for services not yet completed.
You are eligible if you are a Washington state resident, 18 years of age or older with a high school diploma (or GED) or higher academic degree(s), or its equivalent from another country.
Your written test score will be mailed to you in approximately four (4) weeks. Your oral test score and translator test score will be mailed to you in approximately six (6) weeks.
Usually, services will be provided to help you without any significant delay in service delivery. Please ask your local DSHS office or your medical provider for more information.
Invoicing occurs twice per month; one regularly scheduled invoice process and a second supplemental process to catch late authorizations from local offices.
Per WAC 388-03-153, written test score is valid for two years from the date of your score report letter. If you lost your letter, please send us an email.
DSHS currently certifies social service interpreters, medical interpreters, translators, DSHS active/potential bilingual employees, and licensed agency personnel in Chinese-Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. For all other languages, The Department authorizes social service interpreters and medical interpreters (screening test).