State of Alaska Department of Public Safety

CDVSA Complaint form & Procedures

The Council on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault language access policy requires CDVSA staff to take reasonable steps to reduce language barriers that impede access to public services and programs. Our goal is to provide equal access to services for limited and non-English speaking Alaskans. To help accomplish this objective, CDVSA has created a “Language Access Complaint Form” for individuals to comment about the provision of language access services.

Complaint form: 

Complain Form Procedures: 

The Complaint form:

• The complaint form will be available for downloading online and sent by request via mail, email, or fax.
• Complaints may be submitted to CDVSA via email, mail, or fax.
• CDVSA staff notify the public about the availability of the complaint form and procedures as specified in its language access plan.

The following procedures shall be followed when individuals inquire about filing language-related complaints:

• If requested by a member of the public, CDVSA staff will help the individual complete the form.
• If the individual is LEP and needs language assistance to fill out the form, CDVSA may provide a translated form in the requested language (if it exists) or provide sight translation* opportunity via CDVSA’s language access resources.

The following procedures shall be followed once the complaint form is completed:

1. CDVSA staff will accept the form when completed by the individual and send to the CDVSA Language Access Coordinator for investigation into the complaint.
2. The CDVSA Language Access Coordinator or designee shall complete the investigation within 14 days.
3. If the form is not in a language in which CDVSA staff is fluent, staff will use a qualified language service provider when reviewing the complaint and/or contacting the individual to discuss and identify the issue.
4. CDVSA Language Access Coordinator shall investigate whenever they receive a complaint that alleges or indicates possible noncompliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
5. If the investigation results in a finding of compliance, the coordinator shall inform the LEP individual in writing of this determination, including the basis for the determination within seven days of the determination.
6. If the investigation results in a finding of noncompliance the coordinator shall inform the LEP individual of the non-compliance through a Letter of Finding that sets out the areas of non-compliance and the steps that shall be taken to correct the non-compliance within seven days of the determination.

* Sight translation is the verbal/oral rendition of text from one language into another in the moment.  For example, if a client only speaks Spanish and the form is English, the interpreter/translator will review the fields in the form as the client is filling it out so that the client can fill in the English form with the translator assisting him/her/them.