The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) announced the expansion of the claimant web application for claimants whose preferred languages are Tagalog and Japanese. These languages augment the pre-existing Simplified Chinese option, making the online system for filing and certifying unemployment insurance claims accessible in the three languages most widely spoken by claimants in Hawaii.
“Expanding meaningful access to unemployment insurance claimants in widely spoken languages in Hawaii has been a long-term goal for the unemployment insurance program,” said DLIR Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio. “We are excited to be able to provide this service to claimants and will continue to work to expand services to the community.”
The modifications to the online unemployment insurance claims system involved translating the web interface into Japanese and Tagalog in addition to Simplified Chinese. Claimants can select the preferred language and interact with claims portal via drop-down menus in the process of applying for and certifying claims.
“Having the option to file and certify for unemployment insurance benefits via your own preferred language when losing a job is an immense help to claimants during a very stressful time in their lives,” said DLIR language access specialist Helena Manzano. “We’ll continue to partner with immigrant and refugee groups to refine and eventually expand the web application to improve services to our community members with Limited English Proficiency (LEP).”